For What Was Lost
by rachgreengeller
Summary: An AU story from season 5..eager to forget their problems, the gang goes on a Caribbean vacation. New love and love long forgotten surfaces when a plane crashes marooning the six....
1. Chapter 1

Hello! After a long absence, I am returning to with a new story. I promise to update some of my other stories…honest. I also wanted to return with a new ,exciting story filled with adventure, drama, and romance. Also congrats to Lisa on her Emmy nom for The Comeback.

These characters are the sole property of Bright , Kaufmann, and Crane Productions and Warner Brothers-unless you can spare a certain paleontologist..

There was a flurry of activity in Apt 19 and 20 on a dark , stormy Manhattan afternoon. Rachel went through her dresser as she threw clothes into the suitcase on her bed. She abused her Bloomies discount when everyone decided that what they all needed was a vacation in the Bahamas. Lately she had been shopping even more, it had something to do with how she felt. Ever since London and her half hearted disclosure, she was depressed. With a sigh, she closed the bag and then pulled it from the bedroom. "Why couldn't things be different ?" she thought.

Ross got out of the cab and looked up at the threatening sky. It matched his life perfectly. He looked down at the gold band on his ring finger. "Married?" that was a laugh. He hadn't seen his so called wife since she came to the airport and saw him leaving for his honeymoon with his ex girlfriend. Instead of going with Rachel, he took off after Emily to make up with her. It was naturally in vain and in some way he had to make it up to his friend as well. He couldn't believe that this was the way that the woman he thought he would love forever and him would end up. Emily wanted nothing to do with him. He definitely needed this trip.

Rachel opened the door and then heard a familiar voice. "Mon?" Ross opened the apartment and began to look for some kind of life. He knew that his sister was a stickler for punctuality and for once he had beat her. Rachel didn't realize who was there until she walked into the living room. When she saw him, she turned her head. He was the last thing that she needed to see.

"Hey Rach, where is everyone?" he asked curiously.

"Well Phoebe just called she is coming. Joey went to get a snack for the ride to the airport, Monica had to pick up a few extra things and I don't know where Chandler went." Rachel rattled off the itinerary without emotion. Shrugging his shoulders, Ross plopped down on the white couch and picked up a book. "I guess I'll just wait here." He said. Rachel looked down at him and wished he would leave. Anything so she wouldn't have to look at him. The silence between them was enough that Ross tried to make conversation. I uhm tried to get ahold of Emily one last time, no such luck." He said sadly.

"Well maybe you two just need some space." She said choosing her words carefully. " "Yeah I'll try again when we get back." Rachel made a secret wish, that he would forget about his British bride. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, that body, that thick dark black hair and those hands, oh what he could do with those hands. "Well, I have a few more things to do , so please excuse me." Rachel said quickly. Now she didn't have to look at him.

"I'm here and I can't wait!" screamed Phoebe. "This time I can go Yay!" she squealed. After the birth of the triplets, Phoebe was going through a serious bout of post partum depression. It made it worse that instead of having her little babies with her, they were with their parents , Frank and Alice. Everyone got to travel to London for Ross' wedding but her. Mothers to be can't travel by plane in their third trimester, so everyone wanted Phoebe to get to go on a trip with them this time. Phoebe's enthusiasm brought a smile to Rachel' face. Despite her tragic childhood, Rachel admired that Phoebe always had such a sunny disposition. She could have never done what Phoebe did , go through a pregnancy and childbirth and then give up the babies to her brother.

"We are waiting for everyone to get here, so make yourself comfortable." Rachel said. Phoebe opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. At least she wasn't alone with Ross anymore.

No one else knew but Monica wasn't that far away. She hadn't gone to the drugstore , she was in Joey and Chandler's apartment. Putting her hands through his sandy hair she cooed as she picked up a glass of champagne and clinked it with her lover's. "Ten whole days in the Bahamas . I can't think of anything more romantic."

"Tropical drinks , lots of sun and you wearing next to nothing. What could be better?" Chandler smiled as he leaned over to kiss Monica.

"How are we going to keep this a secret from everyone?" Monica questioned. Ever since London, the two of them have kept this little romance a secret. Remembering how everyone took sides when Ross and Rachel broke up, they didn't want to tell everyone until they were sure that the relationship would work.

"Well we can go to our own private part of the resort away from the others, Joey can play in the sand, Rachel can sunbathe, Ross can read and Phoebe can be herself, weird." He said in his unique way. Monica now loved his little sarcastic ways that used to annoy her. From the outer doorway, they heard a loud slam. Joey was back.

"What are we going to do?" panicked Chandler. "Stay cool and follow my lead." Monica said as she innocently opened the door of Chandler's room.

"I told you I would help you find it." She smiled and then gave him a look. "Thanks Monica for coming over to help me." He said with a peck on the cheek.

"That's nice. Now that I have got my sandwich, we can leave." Joey smiled. "Bahamas baby!" he yelled. Chandler just rolled his eyes and looked at Monica. "Okay let's meet everyone." The three went across the hall.

Within a few minutes, two cabs drove away as lightning crossed the sky. Eager to be able to touch each other, Monica and Chandler kept eyeing each other. On the other hand, Ross and Rachel ignored each other and kept looking out the window. An accidental brush of his hand, brought a secret smile to Rachel's face. It seemed that the only two who were acting semi normal were Phoebe and Joey. Phoebe eyed the two couples as they all got out of the taxis. Something was definitely going on.

After check in and boarding, the six geared up for their Caribbean escape. As the plane took off, thunder could be heard. Phoebe and Joey chatted along merrily about what they would do when they reached their destination. When they were sure no one was watching or paying attention, Chandler held Monica's hand as they planned a visit to the bathroom for sex. Engrossed in Nora Bing's latest, Rachel tried to keep her mind on her book, but her eyes kept glancing over to that gold band on Ross' finger.

With thunder still crashing, the pilot announced that the seat belt sign would remain on. Monica cursed the announcement. "I wanted to go to the bathroom." She whined. Chandler reassured her they would have their time. At that moment, a great big bolt of lightning crashed against the side of the plane. It tossed the jet around like it was a little toy in the sky. A startled flight attendant let go of the beverage cart and it rolled down the aisle and tipped over. This was not just any storm, but a tropical hurricane.

"May day mayday, " the pilot screamed as the lights of the cockpit began to flicker. The formerly calm passengers began to scream as the plane began to drop ever so slightly.The flight attendant tried to reassure everyone there was no reason to panic. Looking down at the dark turbulent sea caused Joey to exclaim. "Wow it's just like Baywatch when Mitch's son and his ex wife crashed into the water." Ross wasn't as enthusiastic , it was more like he was petrified.

"We're going to die! I won't live to see Ben grow up or win my Nobel prize or find Amelia Earhart." He screamed as he grabbed the arms of the seat as the plane continued to drop.

"We're not going to die , at least not today." Phoebe yelled. "I would have known."

"And how do you know that?" he cried.

"Because Mr. Science Guy, I know the date that everyone is going to die and it's not today." She said.

Others were also beginning to look back on their own lives. Monica thought of how the only thing she wanted in life was to be a wife and mother. It was so not fair , she had the one that she could do that with, and now she was going to die. Chandler seemed content, but that only seemed to mask his fear. Phoebe just closed her eyes and made her peace. She would soon be face to face with her mother. Rachel looked over at Ross, she needed to make her own peace. He looked over at her, he couldn't go to his grave without confessing something to her.

"Rach?" he said taking her hand tenderly. "I've got to tell you something ." Rachel curiously turned to him. He cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. "Well when I was in London, I realized something " Taking another breath he continued. "I realized that I was still in love with you." Her hands went to her mouth. "But when I told you…" He stopped her from talking. "I know. But I was a married man and I thought Emily and I would get back together. I think the reason I said your name was that I knew deep down I still knew it." Rachel gave him her sweetest smile. "It's always been you." He whispered into her ear. Rachel felt a great relief. Now she could tell him the truth. She could tell him the real reason why she came to London.

"Well you know I told you I was busy at work ?" she said.

"Yeah?" Ross was eager to hear what she would say.

"I had come to London to tell you I was still in love with you. I was going to do this until I saw you and Emily kissing and you two looked so in love. I just couldn't do it." She admitted. Ross looked at her in shock and immediately pulled away from her.

"What ! Do you hate me so much that you don't want to see me happy with anyone? Are you a masochist?" Ross exploded. Rachel started to cry. "I thought you would be happy if I told you the truth."

"Not when you tell me that you wanted to wreck my wedding and this wasn't the first time you tried to sabotage my other relationships. This has to be the worst though, you have sunk to an all time low. You wanted to destroy my marriage. I hope you are happy." He sneered.

"I said I was sorry." She sobbed.

With every fire of his being, he turned to her with hate in his eyes. "You have always wanted to get your own way and if you didn't , you would do whatever you wanted. No matter who got hurt and I have usually been the one you have hurt the most. You are nothing but a cold , vindictive bitch." Ross seethed. Rachel's sorrow turned to anger."And you are nothing but a cheating , little dinosaur geek." She yelled back.

"We were on a break! How many times must I say it." Screamed Ross.

"Oh save it Dr. Geller." She yelled. At that moment the plane stopped dropping and went into a full nosedive. The oxygen masks dropped from the overhead.

Monica clutched Chandler as the plane dove. "This is it!" she screamed. She turned to him and then put her head on his shoulder . The hell with everything , Chandler grabbed her and began to kiss her passionately. Her manicured fingers clutched at his shirt tearing the cotton fabric. Joey's glee now turned to panic as he crossed himself and muttered a Hail Mary. Phoebe had reached her own peace. And as the plane continued to drop , Ross ' face softened as he looked into Rachel's terrified eyes.

"If we are going to die , I don't want to spend our last minutes alive fighting. I want to die in the arms of the man I love. The only man I have ever truly loved." Looking at each other, their lips slowly touched and then their mouths mashed together. Throwing their arms around each other, they gave into their passion as the plane plummeted into the dark sea.


	2. Underwater Peril

Hey great …and by the way … the story is AU … I m sure that R and R would not be fighting…it is just the way I see that before every intensive moment with them on the show….they fight and then they kiss or….glad everyone is enjoying it..can't wait for the Ron Clark story on Sunday.

There was only silence where there were screams of terror. Clear aqua colored water covered the crashed jet. Around it could be seen spots of oil and also there were many curious onlookers. Brilliantly colored fish swam up to the glass windows to see who had entered their world.

The wet floor was littered with bodies and debris as the doomed jet continued to fill with water.

Monica was the first to notice everything. She looked down at her wet sandals and realized that there was a situation. In her typical take charge fashion, she decided to make sure that her friends had survived and were alright. Slowly rising from the seat, she looked down to see a body floating past her. She put her hand to her mouth as she kicked it away from her. With his head pushed back and his sandy colored hair mashed against the headrest, Monica smiled when she realized that this time she wasn't alone.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart wake up." She tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Chandler , we have got to get out of here." She said forcefully. "Wake up!" she pulled him forward. He immediately fell out of the seat onto the floor. "I'm up! I'm up!' he yelled.

"What happened and why is the floor wet?" he asked as he got up and stood in the waist high water. Monica turned to him. "The plane crashed and the plane is filling up with water." She said. "I don't know how bad it is yet." Chandler strolled through the water and then looked out the plane window. A large barracuda eyed him as he saw the location of the plane.

"I am thinking it's pretty bad." He said nodding his head. "Look." Monica went to the window and her mouth dropped. Her blue eyes widened. "Oh my God, is that what I think it means?" she whispered in terror.

"Unless we have grown gills in the past hour, yes." He said drolly . Monica turned to him and decided that she would put her friends before her fear. "We have to make sure that everyone is alright. It would kill me if I knew something happened to anyone. We can think better when we are all together." Chandler agreed and the two of them set off to find their friends.

As he sloshed down the aisle, he heard the familiar snoring. Thank God , Joey was alright. So glad to see him, he embraced his best friend causing him to awaken. Shaking his now damp brown hair, Joey blinked his eyes and stretched. "Wow that was some landing." He said.

Chandler had to tell him. "Joey, we never landed , the plane crashed and went into the ocean. We are underwater." He was unsure what kind of reaction he would get from him. Joey stared out the window and then replied. "Oh well I know what to do. This same thing happened on Baywatch with Mitch's son, and the lifeguards came and rescued him. Maybe someone will rescue us. " he said confidently. Chandler did not have time for his naivete. He took him by his collar and led him back to the window. "Do you see that? Those are fish and coral. Yasmine and Pamela Lee are not going to save us. We are in real danger Joe. This plane could sink further and it is filling up with water." He yelled.

Monica took her hands to wade through the water . She had to know that Phoebe was alright now. Finding her, she was asleep and had a very peaceful look on her face. It was almost angelic. When Monica woke her, she was disappointed. "Oh I thought I was going to see my mother again." She said dipping her head. Monica gave her a hug and then took her hand to show Chandler that Phoebe was alright. Now they had to find her brother and her best friend.

His head was pounding . With one swipe of his finger, he saw the blood and wondered when he got cut. It must have been when his head hit the seat in front of them. It was pretty intense, two people entwined together and kissing like this was it. He was just coming to now. He looked over at her still unconscious. A smile came to his face as he remembered last night. He took his index finger and put it to his lips then he touched her soft lips with it. His jeans were covered with mud and his new shirt was torn. Waking up, she pushed her straight blonde hair aside and then gave a shy smile. "Good morning ." she cooed. He leaned over and he kissed her on the head. He then looked out the window and took a double take and looked again."I don't want you to panic , Honey but we're we're we're……" he stuttered nervously.

"Is the word you're looking for underwater?" Chandler said as he reached the couple. Rachel crawled over him to look. "Oh my God, we're trapped." She sobbed. Her crying caused Monica to run back with Phoebe.

"I knew it was you. I am so glad you both are all right." Monica squealed. Embracing them both , she at least had one worry off her mind. "I don't know if you realize it or not, but the plane crashed into the ocean and we don't even know where we are." Ross pointed out.

Monica sighed and then said. "I am well aware of our situation. What we need to do is not panic and think about a solution."

"We don't have much time , this plane is filling up with water." Chandler suggested. "Okay now what is your bright idea?" Ross said gesturing to the window. "Swim out of here?" he said sarcastically.

Chandler came up with an idea. "Actually , that isn't a bad idea. We could find some sort of opening and then swim to the surface." Ross looked at him. "I could expect this kind of thing from Joey, but I think someone has been watching Baywatch too much." Joey protested. "Hey , I resent that."

"Remember when you were in grad school and we went to Cancun for spring break? The time all those girls rejected us?" Ross had to think for a minute. "Yeah, hey we did try to scuba dive. But that was about ten years ago." He said. "And we failed miserably at it." Chandler had to make his point. "But no one said we had to be good, just enough to get to the surface and then find some land." Joey added. "Yeah I mean they do it on …." Ross stopped him . "If you say Baywatch one more time, you are going to need first aid."

"Okay , we need to get organized. Everyone start going through the plane to find equipment. If this is a flight to the Bahamas, I am sure people brought scuba gear." Monica said. No one moved. "Okay! Move it!" Everyone started to search the dead passengers bags. "Oh look what I found. A Dior bikini in my size." Screamed Rachel waving it in the air.

"Focus! We'll need to salvage stuff later. Equipment first!" yelled Monica.Rachel stuffed the bikini in her bag and continued to go through the plane.Phoebe squealed. "I think I found what are looking for." Everyone trudged through the water to the back of the plane. Chandler and Joey leaned over and went through the dive bags. At least the owners of the bags died in a place that brought them pleasure.

"Okay now from what I remember , we have to check the gauges to see how much air is left." Bending down , Chandler studied the gauges

and discovered they were all full. Now everyone was pulling on the tanks and walking around . Holding their fins, they searched for an exit. Disappointed, they stumbled back through the plane.

"There isn't any exits. I knew it." Ross moaned. Rachel bent over and started to cry as he comforted her. Chandler had a hunch . "Maybe we could break one of these windows." Then Monica got a idea. "Or we could go into the cockpit and break the windshield. But I don't see why we can't force one of these exits open."

"It is very simple. We lost pressure when we crashed and at this depth , the pressure of the water would hold the doors shut. If we do have a chance, it is the window of the cockpit." Ross said. Opening the cockpit, they noticed the pilot and copilot slumped over. Taking off the tank, Monica surveyed the window. "Yep, I think I can do it."

Joey spoke up. "Hey, what about us? After all , aren't we men?" He moved in front to look at the window himself.

"Well Chandler has no strength and Ross bruises like a peach." Monica said matter of factly.

"She is freakishly strong." Chandler agreed. Monica pushed ahead of everyone and started to look through the toolbox for something to break the windshield with. "Everyone help me!' she yelled. "It doesn't have to break the whole window , just a hole big enough so we can swim through it." Everyone was eager to help , but Rachel. She was struggling with her harness and the tank. "This thing is so heavy. I can't get it on. " she said breathing heavily. Breaking away from the search, Ross took the tank and then put it on her and fastened it. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "It's going to be alright." He said out loud. He was saying it for her, and then maybe a little bit for himself as well.

"Okay here goes." Monica took the hammer and began banging at the glass. Taking the dive mask, she used it as a shield of flying glass. Finally after an hour of tapping, the glass finally gave way. "Okay, we are in business. Get ready." Monica backed away as the water began to pour in.

Phoebe felt free as she breathed from her regulator. Her sleeves blew in the water as she ascended from the plane. It was such a wonderful feeling. She had always wanted to be a mermaid after seeing the Disney movie. It wasn't the first time she was in the water like this. She motioned to Joey and he joined her . The two of them slowly moved their fins toward the pink coral. They were obviously in no hurry to reach the surface. The scenery was just incredible. Playfully she swam behind some rocks and Joey chased her.

Looking through his mask, Chandler was trying to remember what he learned on that trip. The first thing he needed to do was take a breath to test the air line. He took Monica's hand and moved it to the regulator and then pushed it in her mouth. Bubbles came from it and he knew the lines were clear. Nodding caused her hair to float up and then she put her hand in his . Together , they swam from their underwater purgatory. Copying this, Rachel timidly put the reg in her mouth and made sure she could breathe. It was obvious by looking through her mask she was terrified. Ross gave her a thumbs up and then took her hand and they went up slowly , fins flapping.

Darting through the water was a rather large barracuda. The group swerved around it to miss it. They had to get out of there because who knew what they would encounter. Suddenly they were overcome by a school of color…red fish, gold fish, blue fish, Phoebe swam over and began to play with them. They nibbled at her fingers causing her to laugh and blow bubbles from her reg. Monica looked at her and tapped her signaling to concentrate on the task at hand. Waving to her new friends , she moved her finned feet away from the fish.

A large gray figure swam by quickly. Rachel pointed and blew a warning as she noticed the shark. Ross wiped his temple , then said a silent prayer of thanks that the shark didn't see the dried blood. Coming through the clear water, the sun was shining through. Using his hands, Chandler moved upward toward the sun and the surface. Everyone followed as they left a trail of bubbles . Breaking the surface , everyone still with their gear on looked around, putting their masks on their forehead.

"I thought we were never going to get out of there." Rachel said pulling her reg from her mouth.

"This is going to be some story for the next paleontology conference." Ross said. "That is , if we ever get out of here and get home."

"I can use this on my resume. Maybe get a role on Baywatch." Joey bragged.

"One thing , though." Chandler said as they looked around. "Where are we?" The six just looked blankly at each other and then looked at the open sea.


	3. On the Island

Seeing land, everyone swam to it. With their gear off, everyone stood on the beach. The group wished that they could get out of their wet clothes . The sky was now clear and there was a cool, tropic breeze. Everything was now calm.

"Why don't we build a fire? " said Monica. "It might warm us up." She shivered and then she looked over at Chandler. Her heart was yearning for him to hold her. But this was not the right time for them to come out. Chandler looked at her as well. He needed to do something to get that feeling off his mind.

"We'll go get some wood. Come on Joe , Ross." The men started to leave until Rachel ran over. "Ross, " she said as she wrapped her arms around him to give him a kiss. "Hurry back sweetie." She exclaimed and then the guys went to get wood.

"When did that happen?" asked Monica curiously." Tired from their little swim, Monica, Phoebe and Rachel spread out on the sand. Rachel knew she had some explaining to do. "Well last night before we crashed, we kind of talked and realized that we still had feelings for each other. I never hated him, I was just mad at him. You guys both knew I still loved him." Monica looked at Phoebe. "You knew? Since when?" she asked. "Since London. It was because of my talk that she went to the wedding." Phoebe announced proudly. "I knew it!" she squealed and went over to hug Rachel.

"Hold it!" Monica hated to break the mood, but she had to be the voice of reason. "You two both realize he is married." She pointed out.

"Monica, he hasn't seen his so called wife since the wedding. It is only a matter of time." Rachel said with optimism.

"He has not stopped wearing a wedding ring, has he? Rachel, I just don't want you to get hurt sweetie." Monica had seen what this marriage had done to Rachel, but deep down in her heart she knew that Ross would be better off with her. Phoebe turned to Rachel and took her hand. "I have said it before, you two are meant to be." Rachel was confident, she knew it too.

"Do you think that someone will find us?" Chandler asked as the men walked along the jungle picking up sticks and wood . "It's hard to say, we could be not that far from the resort islands or it could take months." Ross added. "Well since I am not working right now, I am going to enjoy this." Joey smiled.

"I am glad you can, because others of us do have responsibilities and jobs. I will lose my job at the museum for this." Ross complained. "And what about Ben?"

"I would like to know something though, are you and Rachel back together?" Chandler asked. Ross didn't know how to answer that. "Well we did talk." He stuttered. "No, it is more than that . What is all this honey and sweetheart business? " Ross couldn't hide it. "Okay, we made up before we crashed and now …" Joey interrupted . "I think it's great. You two do belong together. I hated Emily anyway." Ross turned to him. "You hated Emily?"

"Well ,you did kind of jump the gun with her. But what is this about Rachel ? You do realize you are still married to Emily." Chandler said.

"I think we all know how this is all going to turn out." Ross admitted. "Yes we did talk at the airport, but by ignoring me she has made it perfectly clear what she thinks of me. And you know what, I wouldn't blame her at all for feeling that way. I think I tried to move on from Rachel by marrying Emily."

"So what are you gonna do about Emily?" Joey asked with interest.

"When we get home, I guess I will go see my lawyer." Ross said. "I am just going to see how it goes with Rachel . She is just too good of a thing to mess up again." As Ross went on and on about how he loved Rachel, Chandler had a deep far away look. He was feeling some of those same feelings himself. Every one of his thoughts these days seemed to be Monica. It almost killed him to see his best friend openly show his affection.

"That guy must love you by now." Chandler said. "Didn't you and Carol's divorce pay for his boat?" Ross gave him a look. Joey broke the tension by finding a large log. "This should be enough." He said. "We need to go back. It should be getting dark soon."

"What are we going to do tonight? " asked Chandler. "There isn't anywhere for us to sleep."

"I know, maybe if we get this fire going , then maybe someone near by will see it." Ross said. The others agreed as they dragged the logs back to the beach. Remembering her brown bird training, Monica made a pit in the sand for the fire. She took out Rachel's mirror and shined the glass into the sun. "Here's the wood." Announced Chandler.

This caused Joey to giggle. "I am so glad you are more mature." Rachel cooed. "Let's go somewhere private." Rachel took Ross' hand and then they walked away. Monica watched as the two lovers walked away. With determination, she kept trying to start the fire. She picked up two sticks and began to rub them together. Chandler knelt down next to her and picked up another set of sticks to try and start a fire. "I have a lighter, but I don't think it works anymore." He took it from his pants and did try to light it. "See?" he said , then he threw it into the bushes.

"I thought you gave up the cigarettes." Monica whispered. "For me" "Well I don't see a newsstand , so I think I will be giving this up for the time being." Chandler said. Monica walked over to him and said into his ear. "We need to talk." Chandler looked around . Joey and Phoebe had went to explore the island and Ross and Rachel had gone to explore each other. "All clear." Chandler said.

"I hate this . God only knows how long we are going to be here. I want to be able to publicly acknowledge you as my boyfriend. " Monica moaned. "Give it time, we will." Chandler assured her. Knowing that their friends were away, the two of them embraced and then began to kiss.

Emily Waltham –Geller sat up in her bed at her parents. She didn't want to be alone right now. She felt safe in the bed that she grew up in. Her late mother would come in and tuck her in at night when she was a little girl. As a teenager, her father would tell her that everything would be alright. She needed that right now.

It was to be the day she would remember forever. Wearing a long white dress and escorted by her father, she was to be married to the man of her dreams. Or so she thought. He was charming and American , intelligent and funny. She got up and walked to the dresser

. Pulling the box out, she opened it up and started to look through the pictures. Her and Ross in Vermont. Riding in a carriage in Central Perk. It was just the two of them. She wiped a tear from her eye and then took the gold earring he put on her finger before the engagement ring. Why did he have to do it? Why did he say her name and then when she was willing to talk to him, why was he there with that girl? She knew it was a mistake to invite her. But this is what Ross wanted and she would do anything for him.

She looked at the pictures. His eyes were the first thing that she noticed. He seemed to have these eyes that were deep and filled with stories. They were dark hazel and they seemed to be hiding a heart that had been broken. She had known of his pain and somehow his vulnerability made him even more attractive and sexy to her. He also seemed so sweet to take her to the opera as a favor to his friend. Of course, that was before she knew how close of a friend she really was. Could it have worked? Was Emily ready to forgive him? She kept staring at the photographs and a thought came to her mind. Was she still in love with Ross? If so, she had to tell him.


	4. They're missing?

It had been several days since the six had left from New York. No one would have thought anything about it until one day. Carol- Willick Bunch curled up on her sofa to read . She tossed her blonde hair and then began her book. It came to her. Ben hadn't heard from his father in days. This was very unusual.

"Benny?" she said walking to her sons room. Ben was on the floor playing with his action figures. They were a combination of space man and dinosaurs. The latter made Carol laugh.

"Benny, did Daddy call while I or Susan was out?" Carol asked curiously. "Nope." He answered innocently, anxious to go back to his play.

That was unusual. Every time Ross traveled he made sure that he talked to Ben. They had been gone for almost a week and he hadn't called once. She walked into Susan's office.

"Sweetheart, I am kind of getting worried." She said wrapping her arms around the other woman in the chair. "We haven't heard anything from Ross." She said worried.

"Seriously, and there is something wrong with that?" Susan giggled. "I'm serious, whenever he travels , he always talks to Ben and he hasn't done that for this trip." Carol admitted. "This isn't like him at all."

"Maybe he is trying to forget another failed marriage and is having way too much fun." Susan said.

That wasn't it. "No it's got to be something else." Carol said. "I think I am going to call Judy. Maybe she has heard from them."

Judy Geller was in her kitchen. It was so nice to be able to call it that. Monica had monopolized the kitchen for so many years, now she could cook and play the hostess again. She wished that everyone in her life could make some sense of their messed up life. This wasn't how she pictured her life. She wanted everything to be just right. At this point in her life, she wanted to have lots of grandchildren. After all, she did have two grown children. She also would have been happy if they were both married and happy. But no , her daughter was thirty and had never had a decent relationship , except with Richard. And her son, her prince , had just gotten married for the second time. She had one grandchild, who was the product of her son and his ex wife, the lesbian. She thought this one would Emily would have worked, but she had only seen him happy with one girl. Why couldn't she get her own way and everything turn out right?

With the phone ringing, Judy wiped her hands with the towel and then answered the phone. "Hello." She said in her trying to be in control voice. "Judy, it's Carol." She said with a shaky voice. Judy knew that something was wrong.

Hanging up the phone, Judy dropped her head. No she hadn't heard from Ross or Monica. Maybe Ross decided to go to London and make this marriage work after all? But then Monica would have gone home and that didn't happen. Something was definitely going on, maybe Sandra knew something. After all, Rachel went on this trip too.

Sandra pulled the clothes from the Saks bag. Alimony was a wonderful thing. She could have the life she dreamed of, with money. She remembered when she first thought of divorcing Leonard, it was Rachel's move toward independence that motivated her. Holding up the new blouse, she ran to get the phone.

That was a very disturbing phone call , she thought as she hung up on Judy Geller. Yes, the kids did go away. Rachel had a lot on her mind lately, but she didn't get a chance to talk to her before she left on this vacation. Missing? Does this mean that something might have happened? She had to call her husband because Leonard would know what to do. He was an experienced sailor and he knew all about storms and that kind of stuff. She then looked at the picture of Rachel and reassured herself that everything was going to be alright. Grabbing the phone and her antidepressants, she dialed her ex husband.

Within an hour Leonard was on the phone to the FAA. He then inquired about the flight to the Bahamas. The flight records indicated that the plane never made it to its destination. It was as if the jet mysteriously disappeared. The resort confirmed the report by saying that no one by the names of Geller, Green, Bing , Tribbiani, or Philangie showed up. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm going down there to look for our daughter." He announced as he got his suitcase still at his ex wife's. For a brief moment, Sandra embraced her husband as they both showed their concern for their daughter. Tears filled the stern doctor's eyes. Rachel couldn't be gone.

"When I know something , I'll call." He said as he left the house.

Emily was still pondering her and Ross' fate when the phone rang. "For the last time, I told you, she doesn't want to talk to him." Emily could hear her father yelling at the bottom of the stairs. She ran downstairs and screamed. "Daddy, maybe I do." Emily grabbed the phone. "Ross? Ross?" she said.

"It's not Ross. It's his mother." Judy said with a tearful voice. "By any chance, is he with you?" Judy had said a special prayer that he was in London. "No." Emily said softly.

"Oh God." Judy burst into tears. "Emily, I don't know how to tell you this, but Ross flew to the Bahamas a week ago and we don't know what happened to him." Emily dropped the phone. Steven Waltham walked over when Emily's legs started to go out from under her. "We think maybe his plane crashed." Judy said slowly.

"Is anyone doing anything?" she asked.

"Yes, Dr. Green, Rachel's father left about an hour ago. He was on his way to the resort where they will start the search for the kids." Emily grimaced when she heard the name Green. She knew damned well that they were on that plane together. But he didn't know she still wanted to be with him. She had to find him and even if he was gone, she had to make her peace with her husband.

"I am on my way." Emily said as she took down the information and told Judy to let them know. Steven was not pleased by this at all. "Hasn't this Yank done enough damage? I mean he humiliated you in front of your family and friends. Emsy, I don't want to see him hurt you anymore." Steven said lovingly. Emily turned to her father and said. "I am married to him and if he is missing, I have to go tell him what I am feeling. I have to help find him." She said. "I would like you to come with me." Emily said . Steven nodded, anything for his little girl.

Jack took Judy in his arms. "No, Jack, they can't be. Both of them gone." She sobbed. A long time ago, a doctor had told Judy and Jack that they could not have any kids. By some miracle and a lot of prayer, God had given them two kids. Judy walked by the table in the living room which was mostly a shrine to her oldest, her pride and joy.She had a picture of when Ross got his PHd and when he had his bar mitzvah. She also had a picture of Ross with his son. Jack saw a small picture of Monica on the wall and brought it to her attention. It had always saddened Jack that Judy favored Ross over Monica. After all she was his little Harmonica. He almost constantly had to remind her that she had two children, not one. Seeing the picture, made Judy double over in tears. "Oh God No!" she cried as she collapsed to the floor.


	5. Life on the Island

The group had been marooned for a week and they were beginning to settle into life on the island. A couple times they thought they spotted a ship or a plane, but it was all in vain. After a few more dives, they managed to salvage things from the plane. Clothes had been dried out and food and utensils were brought up. The girls mostly wore bikini tops and shorts and the guys wore no shirts. The three men were becoming quite muscular and also each of them was growing a beard. After the food was gone, they now were dependent on the fruits and on the fish found around the island.

Using panty hose from one of the suitcases, Joey stood in the water and lowered the hose for the fish to swim into. Phoebe stood next to him with her skirt tied around her waist.

"Fish for dinner." He smiled as the fish swam right into the hose. The two of them lifted the catch and took them back to the makeshift little camp.

"Put it down here." Monica ordered as she took out the knife and began to prepare the fish. Rachel stood next to her as she tried to fix some kind of salad from the leaves found on the island. She was wearing a bikini top with a pair of short shorts. The sun beat down and her skin was now dark golden brown and her hair had been bleached from the sun. Monica's dark hair was in a bun , so it would not get in the way. Since her job was a chef, she was the one in charge of preparing the food.

"Boy , it's a scorcher." Chandler said as he came over to where the fresh water was. His hair was now almost blonde and for the first time in his life, he actually had muscles. His denim shorts fit snuggly around his tanned torso. He took the cup and poured it over his body to cool it off. Monica took one look at Chandler, and with every fiber in her being she tried to remind herself that she couldn't be seen with him in public. But he was one fine looking piece of man and this island definitely agreed with him.

"Thanks for telling me , you were going to take a break when I was trying to move that tree trunk." Ross said. With his very tanned body, he ambled over to the water as well. He bent over and his normally thin legs were starting to fill out . His arms had developed biceps from the lifting and all the work they had done since the plane wreck. His normally clean shaven face now had a dark beard and mustache. Rachel couldn't help but sigh as she looked at her boyfriend. She always thought he was handsome, but wow, a little bit of muscles and the way those shorts hugged his hips, she had a whole new respect for Ross.

"That's okay, later on I will give my man a massage." Rachel cooed as she wrapped herself around Ross' muscular arms.

"Hey I am the masseuse." Phoebe exclaimed. But then she saw the ravenous look that Rachel had. "Remember that one guy you got fired for biting his butt? " Rachel commented. "Well I don't want you to stress yourself out." "But I am not making any promises that I won't try it. " Rachel smiled seductively.

"Okay now that I have been totally grossed out, I will get back to making dinner. And Miss Horny, I will need that salad , so put your hormones in neutral." Rachel went back to her salad preparation after she blew a kiss at Ross.

"We need to get back to work anyway, hey Joe, come help." Chandler said as he and Ross returned to building the shelter .Chandler looked at Monica and just shrugged his shoulders and then the three men walked away. Phoebe gave Monica a knowing look. She could tell there was something up.

"This was the last place before the plane disappeared from the radar." The pilot said to Leonard and Emily. "If we pass over over it with the helicopter, there is a possibility we might know what happened. Emily looked out over the vast ocean. "Is there a good chance that we will find them?" she asked with concern. "Hard to say , Ma'am." The pilot said. "The one good thing is we have good weather and that water is as clear as glass. We will be able to spot that plane if it did go down." Emily didn't want to hear that.

"Look , we do not want to hear talk like that. I will spare no expense to find my daughter." Leonard barked. Steven had chosen to stay back at the hotel while Emily went on the search.

"Okay let's go." The pilot said as the three of them got into the helicopter as it took off.

"Dinner's ready." Monica said as she served the fish and salad.

"Good , I 'm hungry." Moaned Joey. "I had a bunch of bananas as a snack and now I am ready to eat." Monica handed him a plate. "Hey, this isn't even enough for an appetizer." He complained. "Joey, we have to conserve. There is six of us to feed and we can't run down to the local Korean market." Monica explained. With a sour look, he took his plate and began to eat. Monica looked at Chandler and with their mutual look, they decided that when everyone was served , they would announce their relationship. When everyone was eating, Monica got up and cleared her throat.

"Everyone we have an announcement." Monica started . Then she motioned for Chandler to join her. "For quite a while now, Chandler and I have been a couple." Chandler looked over at her smiling. Then he noticed the look on Ross' face. Ross started to get up. "And when you say a while now, how long has that been?" he said with a threatening tone. Chandler's voice went up. "Since London." Ross glared at him and then started toward him. "So while I was going through emotional hell, you were screwing my baby sister.?" He bellowed as he looked him in the eye. Chandler took off and began to run. "Come back here you ex friend." Ross ran and then the two of them circled a coconut tree. "Bing you are dead!" he yelled. Everyone got up from the table to see what would happen, but mostly to protect their men.

"Ross will you stop it!" Rachel screamed. "

"May I remind you that I am an adult and can make up my own mind. You do not control me. " Monica yelled.

"He has never been in a committed relationship." Ross said to his sister. Chandler made a decision and came over and for the first time in front of his friends, he gave Monica a passionate kiss. "You can do what you want to me , dude, but I am in love with her ." Monica smiled at him as the breeze blew her bangs over her eyes. Chandler reached over and brushed them off. For a minute Ross stood and looked at the couple. Rachel looked at him with a sympathetic look.

"Please sweetheart, she has always been happy for us. Be happy for them.' Rachel said softly.

"Are you sure about this and you aren't going to ever hurt her?" Ross asked.

"You know , I have never felt this way about any woman before, not even Janice. I love your sister so much." Chandler said. Monica gave her brother a begging type look.

"Okay, I am happy for you." Ross had broke down and accepted the couple. After that , everyone gathered around them and exchanged hugs.

The helicopter hovered over the water as Leonard and Emily tried to see any sign of the plane at all. The pilot began to turn the copter around as the search turned up fruitless again. "Sorry folks, we are running low on fuel." He said. Leonard looked through the binoculars as the helicopter started to turn. Through the clear tropic waters , he could spot a large , dark object.

"What is that?" Leonard asked. The pilot spun around and dipped low enough that they could better identify the submerged object. Emily asked to look through the binoculars. Grabbing them, she got a look . "It almost looks like it might have been a jet, but it's too far to tell." The pilot said. "We are going to need to send down some divers to see if it is a plane, and also to see if that was the flight that came out of New York."

Within a few hours, the Coast Guard had been called and divers had also been sent down by the FAA. Emily had been joined by her father as they waited for word about the crash. As they stood on the deck of the ship, a black rubber hood popped up with a part of the submerged plane. Taking the regulator from his mouth, he said."It's Flight 824 that left New York La Guardia about a week ago. And it looks like there were no survivors." Emily put her hand to her mouth as she looked down at the water. "Oh no , no it can't be. " she cried. " Her father began to embrace her and rub her back. "No God no, Ross! Oh no !" she broke down and cried. The three of them watched as the remains of the jet were being airlifted out of the ocean. There was no way anyone could have survived the crash.


	6. They're Gone

Jack Geller picked up the phone. He had a very serious look on his face as he listened to the call. Judy sat perched on the couch arm holding on to Richard Burke's hand. She could see her husband just nodding his head. With his past feeling for their daughter, Richard came over to wait with the Gellers . By now the news had reached the wires , and everyone now knew. Carol came over with Susan and Ben so they could make a vigil as well.

"Thank you." Jack said with no expression as he hung up the phone. He pursed his lips and then turned to Judy. "That was Leonard Green." He said. Upon hearing this, Judy got up from the couch hoping that they found them. She had hope in her eyes until Jack just lowered his head and shook it. "They found the remains. It had been completely flooded over and sunk. There were no survivors. Judy sank into the chair and began to sob. Richard couldn't believe it as well. He was also in shock.

Carol began to cry as well. Susan rubbed her back as she sobbed. Ben was trying to make sense of this tragedy , despite his young age. With tears in his eyes, he looked up at his mother.

"Does this mean that Daddy is an angel now?" he asked with childlike naivete. Carol turned to him and said. "Yes Benny, Daddy will watch over you from heaven. And so will Aunt Monica and Aunt Rachel, and Uncle Joey, Uncle Chandler, and Aunt Phoebe will too." Jack got up and got the pictures out of the living room and then took down the mirror. By Jewish tradition, this was a house of mourning and all reminders of the dead had to be removed .

In their Queens living room, Gloria Tribbiani fingered her rosary beads as she knelt by the statue of the Blessed Mother. Truly the Blessed Virgin would understand her plight. After all, she lost her only son too. With each decade, she sobbed at the framed smiling picture of her son. Things were finally beginning to happen for Joey and now he was dead. Joseph Sr. needed comfort too. And Gloria knew where he was going to get it. She saw him grab his coat and start out the door.

"Joseph, do you think you can put off Ronnie for tonight." She was a woman in pain and she obviously needed someone to cling to. Joseph put down his tough guy Mafioso exterior and let the tears fall from his eyes. He hadn't been fair to the boy and he never acknowledged his acting career. He still harbored the secret wish that one day Joey would want to join his old man in the plumbing business and his dream of Tribbiani and Son would become a reality. That of course was never to be. His mother, Joey's number one fan, had locked herself in her room when they got the news from Mr. Geller. She didn't want to face anyone right now. The Tribbiani daughters had all made themselves useful by doing what any good Italian woman does when faced with death. Gloria had sent a dish to the Gellers, the Greens, Phoebe's grandmother, and Carol and Susan's.

Sandra Green poured herself another drink and let the Valium spill into her manicured hand. What difference would it make whether she was taking one or five? She was in pain and she needed them. Her other two daughters were much more shallow and when told , they asked if they could have Rachel's clothes. She couldn't believe that Rachel was gone. She heard her own husband say the words , but she could picture one day Rachel walking up to her with her smile and hugging her. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She didn't become independent for nothing. Rachel still had so much to do before she went. She had babies to have and a man to love. She came so close to happiness before. Sandra smiled, well maybe she didn't die alone after all. Maybe there was someone after all.

"Oh God where was she and who was she with?" Nora Tyler Bing slowly rose from the hotel bed with the Egyptian sheets wrapped her around her still perfect body. Looking at the nightstand , she saw the empty bottles and then she saw him. He was young and hot , every thing she always wanted in a man. She liked them young. A smile came to her face when she realized that her ex husband Charles, would give his right arm for one night with "What's his Name?" But then it all came back to her why she was like this. Chandler gone? She didn't even know he went on a vacation. But when she got the call , it tore her Jackie Collins world apart. She was not a carefree romance writer , but a mother.

Putting a cigarette in her mouth, she cradled the phone on her shoulder as she made the necessary arrangements for New York. She had always hated New York, but this was the worst of all, she was going home to bury her son. She was very glad that religion was not a big part of her life. If it was , she would curse the God who took her baby away. She held the phone for a moment before she made the call. He did have a right to know too.

"Hello Charles," she said with tears in her voice. At least they could share in their grief together.

Emily looked at herself in the black dress with the black hat. They had only returned to England to pick up Steven's over exorbitant wife. They could not present a united front, without her. Emily , in old tradition wore mourning clothes as they left for Heathrow. Funny , her dress seemed to be a little more tight around the stomach. It couldn't have been the food, she was hardly eating the whole time they were in the Bahamas. She was glad that she got to know Rachel's dad. The only thing she ever thought of Rachel , was that she was a spoiled little girl who used men. She had no idea why Rachel was the way she was and by being around critical Leonard Green , she now knew why. Of course there was only one person who really bothered him, and ironically enough that was her husband. Dr. Green had never forgiven him for cheating on her.

By now everyone had gathered at the Gellers, Sandra and the rest wanted to wait until Emily and Dr. Green returned to New York, Plans had to be made. Everyone agreed that the six should be given the most beautiful memorial service. They also agreed that there couldn't be a more appropriate place than Central Perk .

Note to everyone: I want to thank every one for their great reviews. I feel a little bit like Rachel as I get ready to make one of the biggest steps in my life, so there might be a time when I won't be writing so much. I am moving to Chicago for my career. (Gee maybe that makes me more like Joey then.) I especially want to thank Oliver because he always reads whatever crap I write, I also want to thank Steve for believing in me always , I will miss you, but will always remember you. Yes, It will happen…


	7. Not Like Before

Now for a little romance…

He watched as her legs stood straight up in the air. She took a final breath and then she dove into the crystal blue lagoon. Following her, he went under and used his powerful arms to swim . It seemed like it was so easy for her, she just moved her feet and her fins would do the rest. With her hair standing up , she looked like a mermaid as the bubbles from her mouth popped out. She motioned for him to come next to her as they joined hands and swam . Fish would surround them with their bright colors. He would try to observe them because there would never be another chance to observe these fine specimens.She dove down while he watched onto the sandy bottom of the lagoon and inspected the shells. Picking an absolutely perfect one, she started to push back to the surface. They weren't wearing scuba, just free diving , so they had a limited amount of air. Blowing bubbles, she swam next to him and then pursed her lips. He saw what she was doing and they exchanged kisses as they swam toward the surface.

"Boy, that was a nice swim." Rachel said as she paddled toward the beach. She was now getting more used to the water and these daily swims were actually her and Ross' time. They could get away from the others and be alone. All of this was new to them and they didn't want any dumb mistakes like before.

"You are getting better at this. Maybe sometime we'll come back here by ourselves. Ross stood up as the water only covered his waist. "Well, we won't come back here. We'll stay at a resort and then go diving." Rachel wouldn't mind this paradise at all. They were far away from the problems at hand. She ran her hands through her wet hair to try to get some of the tangles out. She was starting to get hungry , so she started back.

"Wait a minute, let's talk.' Ross suggested as he patted a place for her next to him in the sand. Rachel dropped to her knees and then sat down. She knew that since they had been marooned, they really had not had a chance to talk. They were close, but how long that would last ?

"I wanted to tell you that even though we haven' t talked about it, I think we should think about what is going to happen when we are rescued." Ross said with a serious look. Rachel hoped that Emily would not even be mentioned. Maybe that kissing was only because they thought they were dying and he was going to do his usual denial dance. She so wanted the two of them to be at that same place."And what is that ?" she asked curiously. Ross looked into her blue eyes and then he knew he wanted to say what he had planned. He took her hand.

"Well I was thinking , I have this new apartment." He started. "And I don't know why but I have a feeling that Monica is going to want to be with Chandler. And then you won't have anywhere to live."

Rachel knew what was coming , but he had to be one to ask. "Well that isn't true, I mean I could always live with Joey or Phoebe."

"You wouldn't consider me?" he said disappointed. Rachel leaped into his arms and the force knocked him down in the sand. "Well that depends, am I getting the offer, Doctor?" He took his arms and then rolled her onto her back. Somehow he always liked to be the one in charge in this situation. She squealed with the fast movement he made. Now , with his toned stomach on top of her, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You bet." The two of them looked at each other and then their lips slowly tapped melting into their open mouths. With their wet bodies next to each other, she could feel the part of him that was truly hers. She slid down his tanned body onto his hips as the two of them began to grind together. In the past when this happened, he would be reaching for a condom. But there was no where to be found.

"We can't , there's no condoms." Rachel said disappointed. Ross didn't care about that. If where they were headed was where he thought it was, there would be no need for that. He had watched her in the sun, and as his own special mermaid. Her body was tanned and the tiny bikini top hugged her breasts. His hands slowly moved to the straps and slid them down off her shoulders. Perfectly cupping them, he wanted to hold these golden orbs. The more he held them, he knew he had to have their owner and that he couldn't wait anymore. He eased down the sarong wrapped around her waist and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was indeed going commando. He unbuttoned his shorts and then he slowly eased himself into her. Her cries of pleasure showed him what he was doing right and she ultimately settled down. Lying on the wet sand with her top off and panting, she smiled up at him. Ross had already gotten up and offered his hand to her so she could get up. "Well , we haven't done that in quite a while. Since we got back from Montauk. If I remember the last time."

Ross started.

"You were putting on your pants and yelling because I called you on the carpet about not reading my letter." Rachel smiled as she put back on her bikini top.

"Hey that was eighteen pages and I spent half the night waiting for Bonnie's cab with her, so I fell asleep. I am not saying what you said wasn't important. But I thought my days of all nighters ended when I got my doctorate." Ross tried to explain. Rachel put her hand up and shushed him. "That was the past. We are not dwelling on the past , or the future. We are on this island right now. And I don't know about you, but I am hungry and that lovemaking session made me even more ravenous than before." Rachel smiled. Ross put his arm around her and the two of them walked back to camp.

"The pictures should go here. One for each of them." Jack said as he walked with Gunther. "Then each photo should have flowers around them. We all decided that since they loved to spend so much time here, that it would be a perfect place to have the memorial service." Judy couldn't come because , she was still distraught and she was cleaning so Emily and her family could stay with them.

"We have already decided to close early the day of the service. Kind of a tribute to the kids." Gunther said with a heavy heart. Of course, he was mourning one person more than the others. Gunther then eyed the orange couch and two other chairs. A tear came to his eye."They were a great group and they will be missed around here." He said sadly.

"This has been hard on us all. My wife hasn't been well since we heard the news. I think it will ease all our minds to have this taken care of and it will give some sort of closure to everyone's families. We still have Chandler's father to arrive and then everyone will be here." Jack was trying to keep everything together, if he sat down and thought about it, then he would fall apart. "I'll go to Monica's or at home and see if we can find two nice pictures." Jack shook hands with Gunther and then closed the wooden doors of Central Perk. Now that he was gone, Gunther went behind the kitchen to his private office. He pulled out the picture and then broke down….it was Rachel. Now she would be an angel.

Judy and Jack sat on the couch. By special request , they wanted to be alone when they did this. Since they wanted happy memories of their kids, Judy drug out the box of family snapshots and pictures. They also had Treager go to the apartment and get Monica's photos and brought them back to their house. They finally decided on a picture of Monica when she was at Montauk and smiling and the picture of Ross was cropped from one where he had his arm around Rachel and very happy from last Christmas. Now they could make the final arrangements for the service. They looked at each other and then hugged.

NEXT : The memorial service…


	8. The Memorial Service

Thanks everyone for the great reviews and I am glad you are liking the story…here is another chap…keep the reviews coming..

Central Perk was filled with people. It was a cross section of the six's lives assembled in one room. Bloomingdales had sent people to remember Rachel, there were a bunch of colleagues from the Museum of Natural History for Ross, even though he know longer worked there Days actors and crew for Joey, restaurant workers, Chandler's office and the collection of characters from Phoebe's life. Not surprisingly, Ursula did not show up since she thought that Phoebe was already dead.

In the middle of the coffee shop were six frames on a table . The table was a mixture of lilies, roses, and daisies. Each person was represented by a picture that the relative selected for them. Joey's was a little bit larger since his parents sent over one of his headshots.

"We should get started." The minister said. "No, no we have to wait for my ex husband." Nora said. Normally she wouldn't have any concern for Charles, but he was broken up over losing his son and she couldn't deny him mourning Chandler. Emily's stepmother was over looking at the photos, she seemed to be staring at Ross'

"Mum, we should take our seats." Emily said. "Just one moment, damn shame for losing someone so young. " her stepmother said pouring her flask down her throat. Emily pulled her away. "May I remind you that you are drooling over my late husband." She said through her gritted teeth. So the two of them sat down.

The Tribbiani family was well represented. All of the sisters were there including Gina from California. The other sisters wore very tasteful black dresses. Gina wore a low cut short skirt with high heels and also brought her young son. He was definitely not a typical Tribbiani , he was a young genius. Sandra sat with her hand in Leonard's . This tragedy had brought the divorced couple back together. They could share in their grief over Rachel's death. Gloria, Ronnie, and Joseph Sr. sat together as well Ronnie knew that Joey Sr. was upset and needed to have both of the women in his life next to him. Phoebe 's grandmother entered wearing a long , flowered dress and long earrings. She looked like an older version of her granddaughter. Next Frank Jr. and Alice, pushed a stroller in containing the triplets. He could not think of not coming to his sister's memorial service. He owed Phoebe so much.

Richard couldn't put his finger on it. He thought they gave up the search way too fast. They find a crashed airliner in the middle of the ocean and then they just assume the passengers were dead. He wished he could have helped, but his best friend needed him. When Leonard returned, he even told him that. Leonard was always a no nonsense type of person who wanted this whole night mare to end. They were dead and that was it. Richard knew better, if there was a chance to find his Monica, he would do it.

It was very stressful for Judy, who had not been able to sleep. She claimed that she would hear in the middle of the night her son calling out to her from the ocean in her dreams. Jack was glad that Richard had been there for him. Carol sat with Susan holding her hand and Ben on her lap. Ben was still a little too young to understand what this all was. He was just all dressed up and there would be cake afterward. That's all he needed to know.

Emily sat in her chair restlessly. This had been a lot to happen to her in such a short time. The stress of the marriage and this tragedy had taken their toll. She hadn't had a period in two months. She looked around the coffee shop and thought back to happier times. Sitting on that orange couch with Ross and laughing with them all. Her eyes were misty as she looked through the veil. She looked down at the silver band and now it was even more special. The story that she had been told is that Ross' grandmother carried it from the old country and that any Geller woman would have a long and happy marriage. She also remembered that Joey's duck swallowed the ring and that they had to get the duck to get rid of it, to extricate it, so to speak. Maybe the ring was cursed or maybe her life was cursed. If she would have taken him back or if he never would have uttered that woman's name…..

"What's for breakfast?" Rachel said as she and Ross strolled hand and hand from the clearing. They were both grinning from ear to ear. For the first time since their crash, this was actually the first time they made love. It just finally seemed right. Phoebe sat down to eat her banana pancakes and then she caught a disturbing sight. Chandler would smile at Monica and kiss her on the cheek and Rachel and Ross would look at each other and feed each other. It was so not fair, she was glad for her friends , but it wasn't fair to her. She was without someone to make life on the island better for her. She watched Joey devour his pancakes and drink his coconut milk , reaching for bacon from a pig that they caught in a trap on the other side of the island. Why didn't he want her? She coyly smiled at him and he just grinned as he swallowed his food.

The music began to play and everyone knew that the service would be starting. Gunther went to the door, but then a person showed up at the window as the sign that said closed went up. A large woman wearing a long black veil over her face entered the door. In a deep voice the woman asked . "Is this the memorial service for the kids who died in the plane crash?" Gunther nodded and the woman entered. Nora ran from her seat and hugged her. "Oh Charles." She sobbed. This puzzled people with this display. Obviously this "woman" was a man. "Please I'm Helena." He said with his husky voice. Nora took his hand and led her back to his seat.

"I wonder who that was ?" said Jack. Now the service could start.

The minister came to the podium and began…"it is always a tragedy when people die. It is especially a tragedy when they die years before their time. People that had many years ahead of them. This was a special group of young people, they were more than friends, they were a family to each other. They had dreams. They had lives and each of you gathered here were touched by one or more of these young men and women. You don't need my here to have me tell you how special they were. You were their parents, their children, their grandchildren, their spouses. You should treasure them and remember only the happy times. Now we shall pray…Lord we lift up the souls of these young people…they are in your care now…We ask now that you be with the families of Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Joseph, and Phoebe and get them through this difficult time. At this point, everyone started to cry out loud.

There were beautiful tributes. Sophie from Bloomies told of how her ex boss treated her , but how kind Rachel was. A scientist from the museum was touched by when Ross broke down the barriers between the scientists and the tour guides by showing his friendship to his friend Joey. Many girls came forward telling of their true affection for Joey and were sorry that he never called them back as promised. Kathy who had dated both Joey and Chandler told of how she knew they were true friends by Joey allowing him to date her. Phoebe's homeless people, Monica's co workers, Chandler's office people..all showing one thing..their love for these people...

When Mindy Farber came to speak of how she admired when Rachel showed up at her wedding after Barry 's family shamed her and also how bad she felt about stealing Barry from her, Emily's started feeling how dizzy she was getting. The room began to spin and she fell from her chair.

"Call an ambulance." Judy yelled . Steven went to attend to his daughter as she laid on the floor. She must have been overwhelmed by all of this. He held her hand as the attendant wheeled her out of the coffee shop. His wife and the Gellers followed in their car.

She was coming to, Emily looked over at the iv going into her arm. She was in a hospital bed obviously. The last thing she remembered was that she was in Central Perk for Ross' memorial service.She saw the bracelet on her wrist and then noticed her father sitting on the chair waiting for her to wake up.

"Emily, thank God, I was so worried about you." Steven said. "What happened?' Emily asked. "They did a few tests after they admitted you. You know these Americans. Try to soak you for as much as they can. " her father laughed. "I told them you had been under a lot of stress." At that moment , the doctor entered the door.

"Well Mrs. Geller, we now know what made you pass out ." she said.

"Stress right?" Emily asked curiously.

"No, actually Mrs. Geller, you're pregnant."


	9. Joey and Phoebe?

Emily put her hand on her now flat stomach. "Baby?" she thought. Well there was one question that was on her mind was it Colin's or was it Ross's. When she asked the doctor how far a long , she gave the answer, there was no doubt now it was his, Judy and Jack had been at home awaiting word from the hospital and when they heard that she had woke up , they came to see their daughter in law.

"At least we will have this grandchildren to remember him by." Judy smiled as she laid her head on Jack's shoulder.

Richard was still disturbed by the lack of interest in trying to find the kids. Everyone had basically left them for dead. If there was a chance to find his Monica, he was going to do it.

Following breakfast, Phoebe asked Joey to go with her to find some nuts and berries for lunch. It was a clever ploy. She was starting to have some very strong post maternity urges. If her two best friends could have sex like bunnies on this island, then so could she. Joey was handsome , in a very obvious way, and she always wondered why there couldn't be something between them.

"Okay, so we are going to look for more food. I am always ready for that." Joey smiled. His smile was now covered by a brown colored beard as his bangs hid his eyes. His dark Italian skin was even darker from the constant exposure to the sun. Phoebe looked down at her red burnt skin. Sun was something that she would get when they went to the beach or on vacation. She tried to secure the straps on her top , so they wouldn't dig into her sunburned skin.

As they walked along the path, Joey bent down and grabbed a handful of berries . Phoebe would just smile at him and then gather the berries and put them in her basket. Looking over, she saw him eating a banana. She smiled nervously at him. He smiled back and that allowed Phoebe to make her move.

"Joey?" she asked. "I want to ask you something." Ever since her pregnancy and the weight gain, she was questioning her attractiveness. She was always a woman used to using sex to get her own way. That was one of her strategies to survive on the street. The saddest thing about Phoebe was that she never really had a serious relationship. There was Duncan, who she married so he could work in the US and that was no problem because she thought at the time he was gay. She later found out that he was not gay. The only other man she wanted things to develop with was David. He was sweet, even though physics were the only thing that mattered to him. His precious physics took him away from her and whisked him to Minsk. All other relationships were only blurs. She wanted to have someone like Monica had Richard and Pete and now Chandler and also like Rachel had Ross.

Touching Joey's arm , she looked at him. "Joey, do you still think I am pretty?" Joey wondered why a beautiful girl like Phoebe would ask that. "Of course, you are." He said as he took another bite of banana. Joey could be so dense sometimes. She slowly started to lean over and kiss him slowly. Joey pulled away when he realized what was going on.

"Why did you do that?" she said hurt. "Because you're Phoebe." He answered simply. "And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?" she answered angrily. "Does that make me some kind of a monster?"

Joey got up and walked over to Phoebe. "It means that you are not just some girl that I slept with , but someone I could never hurt." Phoebe got up and screamed. "That is a bunch of bull and you know it. Our friends all know each other and they are all doing it like rabbits with each other."

"It's because they are all in love. Chandler loves Monica and Ross loves Rachel. We are not in love." Joey yelled as it echoed into the jungle. "Why couldn't we be? There aren't a lot of girls on this island and if I wish you could think I was just as good as those bimbos you slept with." Phoebe turned her back on Joey and then she started to cry. Joey hated when women cried. He especially hated it when his friends cry.

"Phoebe come here." Joey said as he opened his arms and she went into them. He cradled her head and then rubbed her hair. It did feel soft and then his hand wandered down onto her bare shoulders. He looked into her blue eyes and then he moved his own lips to hers. The two of them embraced and kissed as the jungle rain poured down on them. Maybe there would be a chance after all.

"I am going to charter a boat and go to the site of the crash. Something just doesn't sit right with me." Richard said as he stroked his mustache. Leonard came up to him. "Why can't you just let it go? We found the sunken plane. There was no way that they survived that crash. My little girl is gone, you don't even have any children that went down on that plane." Now Richard was angry.

"My best friend lost his daughter and his son. I lost someone that I still have very deep feelings for and I do not think I can rest until I bring some sort of closure to this whole thing. Wouldn't you feel better if you knew that Rachel could be buried if they are dead. They couldn't even find any bodies when they found that plane. That means there is a slight chance that they escaped and they could still be alive. I am willing to take that chance." He said calmly.

"Wow that was something." Phoebe said as she broke the kiss. "Hey I am well known for that." Joey said smiling. "That and my acting." Phoebe took his hand and gathered up the basket. "I am not going to make any promises because frankly I have never been in a real relationship before." Joey admitted. "Well maybe that is because you never found the right girl." Phoebe said smiling. "Hey , we are going to miss lunch." Joey said as he took off running. Same old Joey.

Thanks for all the great reviews I am almost at fifty and there is a lot of story left…oh and good luck to Lisa on Sunday….we still love our Phoebs… keep reading …more to come…


	10. Monica and Chandler

Hey everybody…woo hoo fifty two reviews…still trying to break that record..to Isabel…here it is and for anyone else who is Mondler..some Mondler…

Monica and Chandler has managed to find a place for just themselves. It was nice to just get away and be alone. Monica was laying on her side and Chandler was brushing her raven hair with his fingers. The tropical breeze blew her bangs in her eyes and then brushed them away again. She was just laying there looking into his blue eyes but not saying anything.

"What are you thinking about?" Chandler asked as he wondered about what thoughts were going through his girlfriends head. Monica just had a quiet smile on her face.

"When we get off this island, that's all." She said softly.

"Oh you mean our reunion movie? Then we come back and get marooned again and then open a resort and are visited by the Harlem Globetrotters and an evil mad scientist." Chandler said sarcastically.

Monica gave him a playful swat. "Can you ever be serious?"

"I know we won't be here forever." Chandler answered. "Somebody will find us and then we will go back to New York and our boring lives and the coffee shop."

"I wasn't thinking about that, I was thinking about us." Monica pouted. "You and me?"

"And what is that?"

"Well I think since we have basically been living together here that when I get home, I think you should move into the apartment." Monica smiled sweetly at Chandler when she said this. Then she brushed his now sun bleached sandy hair from his face. She rubbed her hands on his beard , luxuriating in the roughness of it against her skin.

"What about your roommate Rachel?" he asked curiously."Where will she live?"

"I wouldn't worry about her. She is probably going to move into Ross' and then after he divorces Emily, he will propose to her , they'll get married , have kids, and live happily ever after." Monica said . Chandler started to get scared at the way Monica was talking.

"Mon, I know what you're thinking , but I am not sure that I am ready to make that step." Monica started to have a mean look in her eyes. You could actually see the vein in her forehead pop out. "And why , am I not good enough for you? " she said angrily.

"No it isn't that." Chandler knew he had to think fast. "It's just that I haven't had the best luck with women. I dumped my girl friend at camp because she was too fat and Janice ,that speaks for itself." He tried to explain. He took Monica's hand. "I just think that if this is real, I don't want to ruin it and I am in no hurry." Monica couldn't believe that this man she had known for almost fifteen years , she just discovered how special he was. She smiled at him and then whispered. "Then we should think about right now." The two of them laid down in the grass and then began to embrace each other.

The early morning had come and it was another sunny day on the island. It was going to be a busy day. Ross had managed to find some fossils on the other side of the island and wanted to find more. But first , he and Rachel were going for their morning swim. He was anxious to observe more of the coral and sea life, so he had went for a run and then went back to get Rachel.

Today Rachel wasn't feeling that well. She felt like her entire body had been hit by a Manhattan bus. Her body was aching and she felt dizzy. She couldn't put her finger on why she was so sick. The sun made her squint, but then she realized it was time for their swim. Somehow , a mouthful of salt water didn't appeal to her this morning.

Joey looked over and saw Phoebe was still asleep. He twisted his fingers through her long, blonde hair. Her tanned naked body was sprawled around the bed as the cover found on the plane was draped over her. Joey wondered why they hadn't done this sooner so he kissed her softly on the cheek and then put his arm over her and laid back down.

"Ready for our swim." Ross said cheerfully. Rachel had put on her bathing suit , but she also noticed it was a little bit tighter. "Yeah, I am just a little bit tired." She moaned. Grabbing her gear, she slowly walked toward the beach. When they got there, Ross put on his mask and snorkel . Rachel started to do the same when she put the snorkel in her mouth, she began to gag and then fell to her knees. Taking his off, he ran over and held her hair as she threw up.

"Are you alright? Maybe we should bypass snorkeling this morning?" Ross suggested.

"No, you go, I will just go back and lie down. " Rachel said as she started back to the camp. She turned around and blew him a kiss. "It was probably a reaction to a berry or plant here on the island. I will be fine. " she said. Ross dove into the water not giving it a second thought.

"Well that is everything." Richard said as he closed his suitcase. He was flying to the Bahamas where he had chartered a boat . He would not stand on the deck this time. He would join in the search. He had given all of the parents and Emily the promise that he would not come back until he either had the proof he needed or he brought the kids back to New York. When he got on the plane and it was in the air, he took out of his wallet and pulled out the picture he never got rid of. It was Monica. "I never stopped loving you." Richard said with tears in his eyes.


	11. Starting the search

Hi again…wow I can't believe this..64 reviews…but now a note to my reviewers …I am sorry that some of you are not pleased with the story or the reality of it. This was an idea that came to me a while ago, as most people who know me know I am not a fan of the whole Ross and Emily saga..and I always thought when he said Rachel's name it was not because he just saw her but his true feelings came out. So if you Emily fans are mad at this or future chapters , sorry…For you Lobster fans…I know that the whole idea of Ross cheating on Emily has crossed your mind from this story..how can it be cheating when she has not even talked to him since the wedding..where would they keep condoms on an island with the diving they did everything in the guys pockets would be soaked…if the whole scuba diving thing seems improbable too..it could happen and after all this is an AU story…and other people have wrote the friends as super heroes so I hope you enjoy the rest of what I have planned..there is a shake up for Mondler and Phoey as well…on with the show….but to those who really liked the story , and to my fellow Everlasting Love lobsters…thanks guys…

Now it was quiet on the island. Hundreds of little stars twinkled in the night sky. It was not New York, the stars could actually be seen .Laying on the sand Ross looked up at them. There was no coffee, no Discovery Channel and no dinosaurs, yet to him , it was the most perfect place on earth. He looked to his side and saw her looking at him. Their eyes met and they just reveled in each other's silence. This is how love was meant to be. This is the way it was before that terrible night, this was how it was before Emily, and this is the way they wanted it to be again. It had nearly been a month since the crash.

"You just can't see stars like that in Manhattan." Ross said as he continued to share his looks between the stars and Rachel. "It is totally incredible. They are just so clear and so bright. Just so totally incredible." Her words began to fade as she pressed her lips to his. He closed his eyes so he could totally concentrate on her. She took his bearded face in her hands and began to kiss him passionately. To take a breath, he broke her embrace and looked up at the stars.

"Look Rachel the stars." He said excitedly. Rachel wondered what he was seeing, was it some comet or shooting star? She had tried in the past to share in his passion for science. But her passion was for clothing and fashion.

Rachel strained her eyes. "I don't see anything , darling." She said continuing to stroke his face with her fingernails. He turned her head back toward the sky .

"Do you remember that first night in the planetarium?" Ross asked , trying to make a point. "The stars in the sky?" Rachel closed his eyes and remembered. Of course, she did…..

"Billions of years ago!" the system blared out. In his usual clumsy way , Ross ran to the control panel. Instead of the narration, the haunting and prophetic melody played…..

I never dreamed I would lose somebody like you….

Yes she did. And then she almost lost him forever just a few short months ago. That thought almost shook her to the bone. Trying to break this serious mood she giggled.

"And if I recall right , when we woke up the next day, there were a whole group of kids staring at you and me naked in the museum."

Ross didn't want the mood broken. "When I see those stars, it reminds me of that night , the night I finally made love to the girl I had spent most of my life dreaming of. And now through some miraculous twist of fate, here we are back together. " He turned to her and took her hand. "I am not sorry that we crashed on this island. It made me realize that I will never love any woman but you. " She sighed and then took a breath. Softly she whispered, "Ross, make love to me." She closed her eyes and to quote a famous book. "She exhaled." After he had brought her to climax, she just smiled . He had been exhausted from diving and looking for fossils. His eyes drifted shut and she looked over to see her lover was asleep. She wasn't quite sure but something inside of her stirred. She closed her eyes and let her hand rest on her stomach. Everything was good.

"So this is where you found the remains?" Richard looked at the maps as he sat at the table. He was trying to figure out where they should start the search. He couldn't understand why there was no search because usually when flights crash, they look for the black box and try to recover the remains of the passengers. But it was more than that and these FAA people and Coast Guard people had to understand, he had a mission. He had made a promise to his friend and to the families of the others. He had also made a promise that he would see Monica again to himself. He just hoped that he would be looking into her blue eyes again.

"Let's do this then." Richard rubbed his hands together and climbed the stairs of the boat. Pulling on the neoprene wet suit , he took a breath and then pulled in his stomach so the rubber could be pulled up his older body. He looked into the clear Caribbean and then strapped the scuba tanks on. Plunging into the water, he finned his way down to the wreck followed by a group of divers. They were all looking for different things, but were convinced that they would find the answers in that sunken plane.

Rachel woke with the sun and realized she had fallen asleep on the beach. It had been so intense last night. The sun was keeping her from seeing out in the island. Had she been there too long and now was she seeing things? She put her hand over her forehead to shield her eyes. Slowly she pulled herself up and walked over to the water's edge. Ross was still fast asleep , but she had to ask him in case she was imagining it. Wading into the lagoon, she had to get a closer look. Her mouth flew open as she splashed through the shallow water. "Ross Ross!" she screamed. He began to stir and realized that they spent the night on the beach.

"Rachel?" he heard her scream and then thought she was in danger. He got up and ran over to her. "What's wrong?" he asked .

"It's out there. It's out quite a ways but there is a boat out there. Ross A boat! Rachel screamed. Ross had to see. Richard's boat was out in the water searching for them. "I wonder what they are doing out there?" Ross said. "Kind of out of the way." He laughed nervously.

"Ross! It's a boat! We are going to be rescued!" Rachel kept jumping up and down. "We have to tell the others." She said taking his hand and pulling him back to the camp. She looked down and noticed something , the ring was gone. After last night , it was pretty clear.

Monica was preparing breakfast and Joey was making a crab trap. Chandler was reading a book he had found and Phoebe was weaving some flowers into a necklace.

"You guys! You guys! We saw it ! It was a boat!" Rachel exclaimed. Suddenly everyone was interested.


	12. It's Over

Sorting through the submerged plane, you could see the frustration through his mask. Bubbles poured from his regulator as he took his gloved hands and sorted through a combination of dead bodies, silt, and plane pieces. One of the other divers would tap Richard and show them something, he would just shake his head and go back to his own search.

"This is the spot . We can start our fire here." Ross said as he cleared a spot on the ground . When Ross was a kid, he was a boy scout and learned a lot about being in the wilderness like this. He always thought he would get to use this information on one of his digs, but never on a deserted island. Joey , Chandler, and Ross began to pile the wood and Ross arranged it , then he took two sticks and began to start the fire. The girls also brought wood up the hill and everyone stood in anticipation of the first sparks.

"You can stay here dear." Judy brought Emily up the stairs and put her in the guest room. Her father carried her bags and sat them down. "This is very nice of you, Mrs. Geller." Emily smiled as she laid down on the bed and then kicked her shoes off.

"Nonsense. The doctor wants you to rest for a few more days before you go home and I wouldn't have the mother of my grandchild stay in a hotel." Judy smiled. "I am going to get you some tea." Judy said as she left. Steven Waltham looked down at his daughter and then patted her hand. "Sweetie, soon we'll be going home." Emily looked up with her eyes and acknowledged him. "I know Daddy. I just want to rest and I don't want to do anything to harm this baby. I knew that woman couldn't stay away from her precious business." Emily said referring to her stepmother. "I will never understand why you married her." Steven just smiled. "You get lonely." Emily knew all too well. She remembered when her beautiful mother died. Now she was a widow herself.

It had been hours later and Ross wiped his sweaty forehead with his hand. There was still no fire at all. Rachel moaned and then walked away. She walked over to the clearing to see if the boat had left yet. Good, it was still there. She walked back over and leaned over and gave Ross a kiss on the cheek for encouragement. The others sat around patiently waiting as well.

"The first thing I am going to do when I get home is take a long bath. " sighed Monica. "And then clean the apartment. It is going to be so filthy."

"The first thing I am going to do when we go home is order a pizza, then order Chinese, and then a meatball sandwich." Joey smiled at the thought of precious food.

"I am going to play my guitar , so I can write some new songs about our adventures on the island." Phoebe exclaimed.

"Would you believe I actually missed my boring job?" Chandler said as he shocked everyone. "You hate that job , honey." Monica said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe I didn't hate it as much as I thought. I mean I do make a pretty decent amount of money." He said with a nod.

As he still tried to start the fire, Rachel bent over Ross. "And what are you going to do ?" Rachel asked curiously. "I am going to my lawyer's and get rid of Emily once and for all. And then…" he looked at her. "We'll see." Rachel and Ross began to kiss.

"Alright loverboy, back to that fire. You guys can get a room when we get back to civilization." Monica said forcefully. Rachel quietly rested her hand on her stomach. Everyone still stood hunched over the wood pile which now was beginning to smoke. "Look honey, its smoking," Ross rubbed harder until the flames began to spark. "I did it! I did it!" he said jumping up and then hugging Rachel. "Quick everyone put some more logs on the pile so we can really get it going." Monica said and then everyone did. Ross picked up a blanket. "A little something I learned in the scouts." He announced as he waved it over the fire , almost like sending smoke signals. The smoke drifted off into the night sky to points unknown. Hopefully someone would see it.

Richard looked down at the gauge. He was running low on air and making no progress. Swimming over , he tapped on the shoulder of the other diver and showed the red mark. He then signaled that he was going to surface. With an okay , he began his ascent from the wreck. Well, no news was good news.

With the fire started, everyone could now rest. Ross laid his head on Rachel and his mind began to wander. There they were on this island, and it was inhabited with the dinosaurs that he found the remains. Spotting the live dinosaurs, he realized that he had made the biggest discovery in paleontology. He was going to be famous and maybe even win the Nobel prize with this. But there was one thing , one of the dinosaurs tore through the jungle and he had Rachel in his mouth. Ross didn't realize this until he heard her scream. Looking up, he realized she was gone. Waking up with a stir, he looked over and saw Rachel asleep. What a nightmare.

Joey's dream was more abstract. He was on the island and suddenly they were running down the beach. He knew that theme , and then he looked up. It was CJ, and Stephanie, and Carolyn clad in their red bathing suits. A big smile crossed his face. Next , the girls were carrying pizzas, and meatball sandwiches, and lasagnas. He got up from under the palm tree and took off after the lifeguards. They took the food and swam away.

"Wait, wait, he exclaimed." "I can have it both, sex and food. Don't leave me hungry . " Joey whined as the girls swam away. Joey snapped awake and then he looked at the horizon. He was really hungry now.

Chandler's nightmare began in a church. He was apparently standing at the altar as his bride came down the aisle. Rachel stood watching as well. "Here she comes." She whispered. Chandler waited with baited breath as Ross stood by his side, as well as Joey. Phoebe smiled as the veiled bride passed her. Today was the day he was marrying the woman of his dreams. The minister said his peace and then Chandler said his vow. Lifting the veil, he screamed.

"Hello my bing a ling." The voice said with a laugh. "I love you Chandler Bing…" Chandler got up and ran away. Monica pulled him back down. "What is wrong with you? You are going to wake everyone up." She scorned. "I had the worst dream, I was getting married." Chandler said with a look of terror. "You better be kidding mister." Monica said with a scowl. "I was marrying Janice." He said with a whisper. With that noise, everyone woke up just in time. The wind had caused the fire to spread to the trees surrounding it.

Luckily Richard was still up, he was trying to develop a new search route . He saw the bright lights off in the distance. "That's unusual," commented the captain. "No it's not, there is something or somebody where that fire is. We need to investigate it." Richard said determinedly. The captain piloted the boat toward the tiny island.

"I am going to follow the smoke." Richard said . "Follow me." The captain had sent his men with the American . They landed on the beach, and hiked up the hill. Richard pulled the bushes aside to see the six of them fast asleep. The rain had put out the blazing inferno, but luckily the smoke could be seen for miles. He blinked his eyes to see if what he was seeing was a mirage. Had he found his Monica?

Monica felt a slight tap on her shoulder. It felt strong and masculine , bringing a smile to her face. "Chandler? " she mumbled. "It's over, " Richard whispered. "The nightmare is over." Monica awoke startled to see a begruzzled Richard Burke, who hadn't shaved in over a week. Hearing the unfamiliar voice , the other soon awoke. "Rachel ran over and hugged Richard. "Thank you, thank you." She cried throwing her arms around him.

"Let's get you back to civilization." Richard said as he helped Monica to her feet. Chandler only looked on with contempt…

Next back to the real world


	13. Going Home

As the six people got on the boat, Richard took special care of Monica. Chandler could only stare and give dirty looks. He brushed aside his sandy bangs and only glared at Dr. Burke. Monica continued to look with adoring eyes to her rescuer. Richard had become her knight in shining armor. Chandler just sneered.

"Say Richard, have you got anything to eat on this boat? I'm starving. " whined Joey. Richard just laughed. "Of course, help yourself." He said as Joey ran to the galley to find something substantial to eat. He then turned his attention to Monica, "You know , you are all going to have to get physicals when we get to the mainland. Make sure you are alright." Chandler burned.

"Do you see this?" he said to Ross. "That big tree is all over her and she hasn't said one word to me since we got on this boat." Chandler pointed out to the couple. "We are all tired and Monica is just trying to show her gratitude to Richard for saving us." Ross pointed out. "Somebody's jealous." Rachel sang out like a little girl. "I am not jealous. It's just we had something on that island and now I feel like it is gone." Chandler said. Ross put his hand on his best friends shoulder, "She will come around. Just let her do it in her own way." He said softly. "A lot of good came from that island." Ross looked at Rachel. "A lot of good." He smiled.

As they sped away , Rachel looked back at the blue ocean. She also felt herself getting sick from the motion of the boat. At least she thought it was the boat. She draped her head over the side. This was so unusual for her because of growing up on her father's boat. She had her sea legs and loved the water. She looked into the ocean when she felt a hand on her back. "We had some incredible adventures down there. I mean escaping the plane and observing the sea life." He said with a soft voice. "But we also have so much ahead."

Phoebe went down in the galley and found Joey with a sandwich in one hand and a piece of cold pizza in the other. With a mouthful of each, she came over and kissed him on the cheek. "What was that for?" Joey said surprised. "I just wanted you to know how happy I am that we are going home. Are you happy we are?" Phoebe asked nervously. "Of course, I missed the real world, all this food and now I can go back to dating ." Joey said with a smile. Phoebe punched him and walked up the stairs. "What did I do?" he said as she walked away. "You were just being Joey Tribbiani , that's all. Unable to commit to anything." She sobbed. She thought her and Joey really had something when they made love . All it turned out is that he was using her like any girl he would sleep with. Joey felt bad because he had hurt his best female friend. He went over to her and held her hand.

"This is the last thing in the world I wanted to do to you. I mean, you are so sweet and you are hot, but I don't want anything big.I just want to be the lone wolf , breaking ladies heart and then moving on to the next one." Joey said. "I don't want to tie myself to one woman like Chandler and I don't want a commitment like Ross always does. I am not ready yet, Pheebs." He looked into her eyes. "Please understand that." Phoebe looked at him and wiped away a tear. "I understand, I understand more than you will know. I am used to this." She walked away leaving him to his food. Then she stared out into the vast ocean, what was she heading home to?

Richard took Monica into his private quarters and then he opened a bottle of wine. Smiling , he poured them each a glass. "Once I let go of a beautiful flower, it floated back even more beautiful than before. Here is to that blossom." He said as the two of them clinked glasses. "You will not believe this, but everyone thought that you guys had died and they actually had a memorial service for you." Monica dropped her glass. "They think we're dead?" she exclaimed. "Who does?" Richard cleared his throat. "Why your parents, Rachel's parents, Joey, Chandler's Ross two wives," Monica stopped him before he went on. "Emily was here?" she said surprised. "She still is, she was very broken up about Ross." He continued. "But do you want to know who I was broken up over?" Richard said sincerely as he took Monica's hand. "You, I thought I had lost you forever and I even imagined what our kids would look like when I did." Monica smiled at him. "Our kids? I thought you didn't want anymore." She asked puzzled. "I changed my mind . If they had your eyes and your smile , then how could I deny the world that." Monica turned to Richard and with every fiber of her being she kissed him passionately.

The next day, the boat arrived in St Thomas. The six were taken immediately to a hospital to be checked over before they went home. The resort was genuinely sorry and promised the group that they could have a free stay anytime they wanted. As each person was examined, they noticed that Rachel was taking a little bit longer than the rest.

"And what exactly have you found wrong with her?" Ross demanded as Rachel sat on the table. The nurse came in with a smile on her face. "Nothing at all is wrong. In fact , I would say that everything is right. Miss Green is pregnant." Rachel 's mouth came wide open with shock. Just to hear those words. Ross gave her a big kiss on the lips and then yelled. "I am going to be a daddy! You are having our baby!" He leaned down and put his hand on her stomach to acknowledge for the first time that a baby was in there. She smiled.

Chandler shoved his hands in his pocket and lowered his head. He didn't know why he had no luck with women. He thought that this time would be different. But then he saw how Richard fussed over Monica and how she just kept looking at him. He had to get her back. He was in love with her, he just couldn't say it out loud. Yes he said it on the plane, but they all thought they were going to die. That's how it always happens in the movies.

Richard came back and announced he had called everyone's parents. Ross looked at Rachel and couldn't wait to tell his parents the wonderful news. He also had something to ask Rachel's dad, he wanted to ask for her hand in marriage. When this divorce was finalized, he would plan the perfect proposal.

Emily walked downstairs in the Geller house. Judy was sitting on the couch and crying . "Mum Geller, what's wrong ? Have they found the bodies?" she said curiously. "No it's nothing like that. They are alive." Judy sobbed happily. "My baby is alive." Emily put her hand on the now growing stomach and smiled. "Your daddy is coming home. Oh Ross, we are going to make it work. We are going to make it work for this little baby."


	14. Revealations

Readjusting to normal life was going to take some time. The men , first of all shaved and got haircuts. A month away from a razor had made Chandler, Ross and Joey look like homeless men. Joey had to look good if he wanted to start auditioning when he returned and the two others had jobs to return to.

Rachel also had to adjust as well. She was going to be a mother. She had to keep telling herself that over and over. Since it was early in the pregnancy, she did not even show yet. One thing, though, she didn't have to ask for anything. The doctor wanted to make sure she was especially alright after the ordeal on the island. The health center also kept the others a few days just to be safe. Even though he was in another room, Ross was a constant visitor.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he said as he sat on the bed with her. "I told you I am fine." She answered as she brushed her hair aside. Ross leaned down and put his hand on her flat stomach. "I just can't believe that is our baby in there." He said giddily. Rachel couldn't understand how he could be like this. After all, he was already a father. Yet, this was the most exciting thing that was happening in his life. He would just smile at her with his newly shaved face and giggle in that way he had. "I am going to be a daddy again. " he repeated as if he couldn't believe it.

Monica was feeling worse and worse for the way she was acting. She was coming to a crossroads. It was Richard who had been their savior, but she couldn't help but think about her feelings for Chandler. In a moment of weakness, she kissed Richard and all her past feelings for him came splashing forward in one moment. He then started to declare his love for her. Yes she had her moments with him, but there was someone who has so much better for her . She needed to talk to him now.

Depressed over her rejection of him, he had managed to have one of the nurses get him a pack of cigarettes. It was good to look like a human being again, and he noticed that several of the nurses , even the male ones couldn't help to look at him. Maybe he was more like his father than he wanted to be. Chandler walked out of the hospital clad in his robe, he put the cigarette in his mouth. Monica had asked where he was , she pulled the robe around her and walked outside. She hated those stupid cigarettes, but she couldn't help admitting how sexy he looked with it in perched in his lips.

"Chandler?" she said shyly, almost ashamed. He turned to her with the saddest blue eyes. "Oh where is your new lover?" he said sarcastically.

She cautiously walked over to where he was. "I wanted to talk to you about that." Monica cast her eyes down.

"I understand, you have always told me how much Richard meant to you, and you Gellers have this tendency to go back to the same people over and over again. I am happy for you." Chandler said as he took another puff and then put the butt out with his slipper. He then started to walk toward the hospital. Monica tapped him on the shoulder. "But that 's just it. He doesn't ." Chandler stopped and turned around. "You and I went through quite an ordeal and we almost died. I said that I loved you and I do, Chandler. You were there for me when I needed you in London and we shared a life changing experience. It was enough for me to realize that if we could get through a plane crash and being marooned , then we could get through anything in life. " Chandler smiled and took her hand. "I am not going to promise that it is going to be easy. But between the both of us, I think we have a pretty good shot." Monica smiled and then the two of them kissed. "I don't know about you, but I am starving." Monica laughed. "Alright Joey." They turned into the doors laughing and smiling.

Joey was in heaven. He sat in the bed with a food tray being brought in about every hour. And when they were brought in, they were always brought in by a pretty girl nurse. Suddenly all the nurses wondered where all the young girls were disappearing to, then they realized they ran to see the soap star.

"I loved you as Drake. I was so sad when you fell down that elevator shaft." A 23 year old blonde hair student nurse said as she rubbed his back.

Phoebe had managed to find a guitar and started her own compositions . Songs like "Here on Phoebe's Island," and "Ross and Rachel Are Having a baby and he is married to another woman."

Richard came into the common room and announced that everyone's families were being flown down to welcome them back to the real world. Monica knew she had to let Richard down easy. She hated to hurt him. He still had that look when he looked at her .

"Isn't this great?" he said taking her hand. Monica turned away from him. "Richard, I need to tell you something." He turned all his attention to her and stroked his mustache. "I think you told me everything you needed to tell me when we were on that boat." He smiled at her.

"Richard, I had just been through an ordeal and I wasn't thinking straight at the time. I was so glad that you took the time and the effort to find us. I guess, I was just thanking you. " Monica said softly.

"There is no need to do that." Richard said brusquely. "You are my best friends' daughter , and I hated that everyone had given up on you. I knew you were still alive and I knew I had to prove it."

Monica felt like she was stabbing him. "Richard, those feelings that I once had for you are gone. I will admit that you were the first great love of my life. But I am in love with someone else. And the really funny thing is that he was here all along."

"You met someone else?" he asked puzzled.

Monica shook her head. "No , I just learned to see him in a totally different way. I never dreamed that I would fall in love with my own brother's best friend." She said with the voice of a woman in love.

Richard was confused now. "Chandler? Do you mean to tell me you are in love with Chandler Bing?" he said as he raised his voice.

"It all started in London. You know how Mom gets and she could only shake her head and tell a bunch of total strangers that I was a loser and would never have anyone. I mean this is my brother's second marriage. Then some guy thought I was Ross' mother and I got really drunk."

Richard took her hand. "You are not old enough to be his mother. He is only two years older than you. You are a beautiful young woman." Monica pulled away. "Chandler told me how could I think I wasn't attractive and I was still hurting from losing you." Richard felt like he was stabbed in the heart now . "I am so sorry, and if I could Monica, I would take back what I said at that wedding. I told you I am ready to have kids again, because I love you so much and I know that is what you want more than anything." Richard was now crying. Monica was feeling his pain now. "I was with him and we almost died. We made love in London and I have never felt like that ever, not even with you. Richard, please, this is so hard. If you love me like you say you do, let me go." Monica was crying. Richard took her in his big , burly arms and hugged her like there was no tomorrow. Chandler came into the room again and started to walk away. Monica saw him out of the corner of her eye and then said. "Chandler, come back here. It's over." She said to him. He looked at her and then Richard. "No Chandler, it's over for Richard and me. I told him about us." Richard came over slowly and then he shook his hand. "Take care of her." He said almost inaudibly and walked away.

"I am getting kind of sleepy. " Rachel said as she yawned. "That's kind of unusual , isn't it?" she asked the nurse. "No , not at all, mommies to be need their sleep." She smiled. Ross started to get up. Rachel pulled on his hand. "No one said you had to leave. Come and take a nap with me, daddy." She looked up to him and smiled. He laid down on the bed next to her and curled up, resting his hand on her stomach.

Emily's stomach was restless. It wasn't her baby, it was seeing her husband after all these months. Now everyone was on a flight to the Bahamas . They had been rescued and were now in a hospital where they were being reintroduced to civilization. The Coast Guard was flying the relatives so they could see their loved ones again. She was going to see Ross, how was she going to tell him?


	15. Reconcilation chap 1

Wow over eighty reviews thanks so much to the most loyal of the loyal … this looks like it might even beat the record of Oh Those Barbados Nights… for you super loyal fans… I am taking all suggestions under considerations… you kind of know who will end up together and I hope Mondler fans weren't too upset with the Richard thing… there may be some more Joey and Phoebe so hang on as the six are reunited and the fur is going to fly….Dr. Leonard Green fans…..

They were a very diversified group. Some were parents from traditional backgrounds with Judeo – Christian roots, Some were grandparents or siblings that never knew their brother or sister that well to begin with. They came rich or poor, old or young, American, Italian, and British. They came with one thing in mind. Only a few short weeks ago, they thought their loved ones had perished in a plane crash. They were buried at sea never to be heard from again. Shiva had been said , candles had been lit and graves unearthed. All hope had gone. Now by some miracle those prayers had been answered and they were walking through the hallway of some Caribbean hospital to see the faces of their loved ones.

"Dad, Mom." Ross exclaimed as he walked toward his mother and father. Judy was still crying as she held her eldest son in her arms and didn't want to let go.

"I am so happy , I feel like this has all been a bad dream." Judy sobbed. Ross rubbed his mother's shoulders. "It's over Mommy. I am coming home." He said sincerely. "Monica should be out in a minute." At that moment, Monica saw her parents and then immediately began to sob as well. "Oh you guys." She said happily.

"My little harmonica." Jack said as he embraced his daughter. "You are alright ." he smiled .

"Maybe a little thinner then before." Judy said in her usual way.

"Mom." Ross said in a warning tone. "We are all a little thinner, well that is except for someone else." He couldn't wait to give them the news. "I want you to wait right here." He said as he ran quickly to get Rachel to tell them she was going to have their grandchild.

"Daddy I'm fine." Rachel said as she laid in the bed. Her father was never one to show any emotion and the first to yell usually. He just had a problem with his heart , which was ironic since he was a vascular surgeon. "But why are they telling you to stay in bed? There has got to be a reason for that." Leonard said loudly. Rachel didn't know how she was going to tell him that his first grandchild was not only conceived on that island but that the father was only the boy that her father said was no good for her. Her mother's words verbatim were once a cheater, always a cheater. "They have just been watching me a little more closely that's all Daddy." Rachel said hoping to end his questioning.

"Well your mother has stayed back in NY and is arranging a coming home party for you guys. Typical Sandra." He said mockingly. "I told her I couldn't wait to hug my little sweet pea." He held her in his arms as he leaned over the bed. "It must have been awful on that island ." he said. Rachel thought back on their adventures on the island. They actually brought a little grin to her face. "Yes, but it wasn't all bad.'

"Hi you little guys." Phoebe squealed to her little nephews and nieces. "I remember the last time I saw you, you had just come out of me. I guess you all want to say youre sorry for hurting me. But hey, that is just the way it is." Frank presented Phoebe with a piece of plastic that he had proudly burned. "I did this for you." He said as he presented the unrecognizable piece of plastic to her. Alice had her home ec students make her a robe she could wear in the hospital while she was there. "Thank you." She smiled. Phoebe couldn't contain her glee when she saw Phoebe Sr. come forward and give her a hug. "I didn't want to think when I had finally found you , I would never you see you again." She said with tears in her voice.

Phoebe said with a reassuring voice. " I did see my mother Lily before we crashed. I told her I met you." Phoebe Sr. hugged her baby even tighter. "I am going to make you the most beautiful naked lady vase you ever saw. " she proclaimed. "Could you make it a naked man instead?" Phoebe asked. "You bet." Phoebe Sr. laughed.

"Now Mom I am fine." Chandler said as he walked away from his mother. "You were in peril, teetering on the brink of life and death and forced to battle the elements." Nora Bing said in her usual literary way. "Was there much hot sex going on? I would love to use it for my next book." She said happily. "You are incredible , you know that? First of all you tell my father that I am alive when I have told you time and time again that I want to have nothing to do with him. Then you ask me how I am , and take notes so you can use them in your next romance novel. What's next, oh yes, Ross is down the hall so you can seduce him again for your Mrs. Robinson phase." Chandler lit another cigarette.

"I made her tell me because I would not be able to live with myself if something happened to you and I didn't make peace with you." Helena said in her bright floral print dress with her Carmen Miranda hat.

"And I want to thank you for wearing possibly the most embarrassing thing you could think of." Chandler said as he took a puff.

"Son, I think it is time that you forgave me. I never meant to hurt you on that Thanksgiving day. I am also sorry that I have embarrassed you over the years. I just wanted to be myself ." Helena said softly. "I never meant to hurt you Chandler Muriel." He said with tears in his voice. Chandler broke down as well. "I love you Dad.' He said as he hugged the man in the tropical dress.

Gloria Tribbiani crossed herself when she saw her boy. "My Joey!" she cried. "Look at you, skin and bones. There was nothing to eat on the island was there?" she declared. Suddenly there was a line of Italian women bringing in bowls and pans of pasta and other Italian dishes. "We'll fix that. There is enough for all of your friends too." Joey watched as Mary Angela, Dina, Tina, Gina, Mary Theresa, Veronica , and Cookie put down their dishes. "Maybe ." he smiled. Nobody touches Joey 's food.

"I bet there was a lot of action with those three hot broads on the island." Joey Sr. smiled. Gloria smacked him in the back of the head with the ring. "You'll tell your old man later. Right Kid?' he whispered as he avoided another swat with the ring.

Judy and Jack were talking with Monica when Ross had come back pushing Rachel in her wheelchair. "This is the little something I wanted to tell you about." Ross couldn't hold it in any longer. His dream girl was going to have a baby. His baby. And he was going to tell his parents that they were going to have another grandchild soon. Ben would have a half brother or sister.

"Why is Rachel in a wheelchair? Is she hurt?" Jack asked.

"Nope, on the contrary. Dad , Mom Rachel's in the wheelchair because the doctor just wanted her to take it a little more easy than the rest of us. You see….." Ross started until he noticed the familiar face.

"Oh my darling!" Emily said as she threw her arms around Ross. "My prayers have been answered. I prayed that I would see my husband again. And now I am in the arms of the man I love. And Ross , we are never going to be apart again." Emily said as she lowered her arms around Ross . Ross had the most shocked look on his face. "Till death parts us." She said as Rachel looked on with the saddest look on her face. She held her stomach as she witnessed the two reconciled lovers in front of her. Ross was still in shock.


	16. Reconcilation part 2

Ross looked at Emily as she smothered herself against him. Judy and Jack looked on helplessly and Monica 's mouth was wide open. She knew what revelation was coming next and it was painfully obviously that the saga of Ross and Emily was far from over. Rachel just stared at the scene in front of her. What was supposed to be a joyous announcement was turning into her own private nightmare.

"I would like to spend some time alone, darling. Just the two of us, we have so much to make up for. The first thing I was thinking was to fly back to London and then have another ceremony. You know, a small private one to make up for the fiasco of the first one. Then we can go away to Greece just like we planned. " Emily just kept rambling on and all Ross wanted to do was tear away from her. He had made his decision and he just wanted to forget all about Emily and London.

Rachel remembered the threats that Emily had made and the phone call the night of the ride along. Tears were filling her eyes as she watched her own little dream fall apart. Emily was not going to let go without a fight . Ross was going to just get more hurt.

Seeing Rachel, Emily broke away and walked over to her in the wheelchair. "Rachel, I am sorry for the way I acted before when I was coming to America. I know how important friends are , and especially how important you are to my husband. I want you to know that you will be welcome in our home anytime you want." She said smiling at Ross. "In fact, I have some great news." Emily couldn't wait any longer. She wanted to tell Ross in private , but in her own malicious way , she could do this better in front of Rachel. It will be her own declaration of saying that she had won and Ross was hers.

"Sweet pea, where did you go?" Leonard Green said as he came out of the room putting on his glasses and sticking a cigarette in his mouth. "Daddy." Rachel said with a warning. "You know better than those ." Leonard took the cigarette from his lips and put it back into the pocket of his blue windbreaker.

"I was taking Rachel to say hello to my parents. They wanted to see her." Ross said to Dr. Green in a meek way. "Hello, Dr. Green, " Ross said as he pulled away from Emily. Now he wasn't so sure about announcing Rachel's pregnancy. That man frightened him. He was also sure that Rachel cried to her Daddy about Ross marrying the British chippy and that also would not look favorable on him.

"Geller, what are you doing with my daughter? Aren't you married now?" Leonard said as he looked deadly at Ross.

"Separated, sir. And there is a reason that Rachel and I are together. After all, she is my best friend." Ross said defensively. Ross looked to Rachel for support. Rachel didn't know what to do.

"Well actually, I have been meaning to talk to you, Ross." Emily said. "I just got here and I know we have a few things we need to discuss." Ross nodded his head and then looked over to Rachel again. "Yes, we do ,Emily. There is quite a few things we need to talk about. You don't just abandon someone after a wedding or tell them that they can't see one of their best friends just because you might be jealous of them. You also base a marriage on trust, Emily and you blatantly told me that you could not trust me."

"Ross, I said I was sorry.' Emily said meekly. Ross put his hand up to Emily's mouth to quiet her. "I lost my job at the museum and I was homeless for a while. Thank God my true friends were there to support me. We have truly bonded because of this whole ordeal and I would give my life to any of them. That is trust . The time on the island also allowed me to think. I have made a decision, Emily." Ross said stronger than ever. He took a breath. "I am going to my lawyer's when we get back to Manhattan. You will be free of me very soon , and then we can go on with both our lives." Emily's eyes began to widen. Rachel began to smile again.

"Ross, you don't understand. I don't want to lose you again.' Emily started to sob.

"You already have, Emily.' He said defensively. Emily looked over at Rachel with contempt. "It's her isn't it? Let me guess what went on in Paradise. Little Ginger had an affair with the Professor? You and her were having sex all over that island weren't you?" Emily spit out with disgust. "You were taking her on our honeymoon and now you wanted to have sex with her again." Ross was getting angry now. "I ran after you, and she went to Greece alone. You wouldn't have anything to do with me and then when I even offer to give up everything for you. You still say you don't trust me. " he ranted. "What in the fuck makes you think that we could ever be together?" Emily lowered her head.

"Because I am having your baby." She whispered. Ross came over to her closer. "What did you say?" he replied nervously.

"I'm pregnant." Emily sobbed. Ross looked at her and then he looked over at Rachel. Her eyes started to well up with tears.

"Now what was so damn important before, Dr. Wet Head?" Leonard was getting impatient. He didn't like melodramas or soap operas. , Ross had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess. This had to be the worst day of his life. Here he was still married to one woman, who was carrying his child and then he was getting ready to make another announcement that would shake the Geller, Green , and Waltham families to the core.

"Well, you have got to understand how we all thought that we would either die of old age on the island. I mean when that plane started to nosedive, we all thought we were going to get killed. Then when we had to swim out of the plane uhm a shark could have got us or a sting ray, someone could have drowned or gotten the bends or something…we thought we would never see any of you guys again…." Ross was stalling this much was obvious.

"Out with it." Leonard had run out of patience. Looking at Rachel, it was obvious to Emily what was going on. She turned to Rachel and gave her the most hateful looks. "You whore.' She mouthed.

"Rachel and I …. Well we realized something on that island. We realized that we never got over each other." Ross continued. Leonard looked at his daughter. "You do realize that you were cheating , Sweet Pea? I mean I know your sisters do it, but I didn't expect this from you." Ross came to her defense. "She didn't do anything wrong.' He said to Dr. Green.

"You are the jerk in this mess, Geller, and I blame you for it.' Leonard screamed. "How far along are you?" he said to Rachel.

"Three weeks , " she sobbed. "I think it came from the night we crashed. " Leonard walked over to Jack. "Proud of yourself aren't you , Geller? This is the kind of kid you raised. He cheats on her with some slut from a bar and then he gets married and cheats again. You make me sick, and the fact that you call yourself a doctor even makes me sicker. I want you to stay away from my daughter. You have your own little mess to deal with.' Leonard motioned over to Emily.

Ross walked over to Emily. "Are you absolutely sure it's mine? Maybe it is Colin's." Emily shook her head. ""I'm sure."


	17. Can This be It?

There was absolute silence as everyone looked at everyone else. In all the other hospital rooms, there were cheerful faces, joyous celebrating, and families brought together. In this one, there was nothing but contempt. In the midst of all of this , stood one man. He pushed his hands through his dark brown hair and then made a noise through his lips. He wanted to close his eyes and think this was all a bad dream, maybe even a plot on Days of our Lives. He slowly shoved his gaze to the women in the wheelchair and then he pushed it away when he saw her sad blue eyes. The brownish blonde hair covered her face in a shameful way as she pushed it out of her eyes. Then he noticed the fire coming from those eyes filled with hatred. Did Emily hate him for cheating or Rachel for being loved by him?

What was he going to do? Was he going to abandon Emily and be with the woman he loved? It would be so easy to divorce her, but then there would be an innocent victim in all this , his child. That child would never understand the circumstances and would hate him for the rest of his life and quite possibly blame Emily for everything as well. On the other hand, Rachel was pregnant too. He had one son he never got to see except on the weekends. This would be the child he would treasure because of its mother and his love for her. One of these children was going to have to suffer and he hated to see which one would.

Ross looked at Rachel with tears in his eyes. Dr. Green took the wheelchair and pushed it violently away. Rachel reached her hand out toward Ross as she was pushed away. Her look was a look of yearning. Her aqua eyes glistened with tears as she saw her dreams shattered. Bending her head over, she began to sob into her hands.

"He's not worth it, Sweet Pea." Leonard said. "I am going to take you back to New York and you are moving in with your mother. She will be glad to have someone to take care of you."

"Daddy, I have a life. I have a job. I have friends. I don't want to go back there. " Rachel said loudly.

"And look what that got you." He sneered. "We are going to figure things out, but I do know this. I do not want you to call, talk, to or visit that jerk. That baby is never going to see it s father and that will be the luckiest day of its life." Rachel looked back as her father wheeled the chair away.

Emily came over and threw her arms around Ross. "Don't ." he whispered. "Emily, I know we have to talk, but I don't want to right now. I just want to be left alone." He turned away and then slowly walked down the hall. He wished there would be a pill the doctor could give him or enough alcohol to numb the pain. Damn responsibilities!

"Emily, it has been a rough day. A lot has happened , so please just be patient. Ross will come around I am sure." Judy put her arm around her shoulder as she watched her husband walk away. Monica knew where she was needed , so she followed Ross as he paced up the hallway.

"I need to see her." He sobbed. "I need to let her know that I still care for her. Mon, I don't know what I am going to do. I know I have responsibilities, but I just don't know what to do." The grown man was hunched over like a young boy as his younger sister held him. "I know , you wish that things could be different. In all best possible worlds, you and Rachel would have been together. But now, you can't think about that now. You are going to be a father and you are still legally married. " Monica tried to make him see reason.

"I can't do anything until I …" Ross started. "You can't do anything until you talk to Emily. " Monica argued. "She had given you up for dead and now she wants to be a family. You owe that to her."

"Is this part of that whole foreigner fantasy type thing you talked about when I met Emily? " Ross asked. Monica smirked. "Maybe a little bit. But it 's also how I would feel if I was married to someone and then he left me when I obviously was still in love with him. "

"I can't understand any of this, Rachel is your best friend." Ross defended her.

"You have made promises to God and in front of Emily's family. Now they don't think that highly of you because of the wrong name. This is your chance to vindicate yourself from her family. Besides, I don't think it would be a good idea to try to talk to her right now." Monica said earnestly. Ross pulled away. "And why is that?" he said defensively.

"Because her father had nothing good to say about you. Ross, you are just going to make things worse." Monica said shaking her head.

"That is my child, Monica. " Ross yelled. "He can not keep me from seeing my own baby. I will use my lawyer and …."

Monica took him by the arm. "Let her cool off and let her father cool off. Take care of one of the mothers of your children." Ross looked down the hall at Emily. "I will go talk to Rachel." Monica said calmly. "You talk to your wife." Ross hugged Monica tightly and then he set off to see Emily.

Monica pulled the hospital robe around her and then wished that she could have Chandler's comfort. She knew he was in with his own parents and that when he was needed, he would be there for her. She slowly opened Rachel's door. When she walked in, she noticed that Rachel was gone.

"Nurse, nurse." Monica said as she ran to get some answers. "Quiet down , miss." She said to calm her. "There was a woman in that room earlier. What has happened to her?" Monica asked in a panic.

The nurse straightened up and then answered. "She was taken away by her father. He said something about setting them up in a hotel until he could get her back to New York." The nurse remembered a piece of paper. "She did it while he wasn't looking, but she said to give this to you and you would know what to do with it and who to give to." Monica took the paper with the scrawl on it and put it in her pocket. She would deal with it later.

"Emily." Ross said as diplomatic as he could at this point. "We have a situation here." Emily sat on his bed and crossed her legs trying to lend some dignity to the event. "Yes, we do here. We are about to bring a baby into the world. There should be no situation, this should be a time for celebration. You and I should rejoice that we are going to be a family. Instead I see that the one person that I asked you not to have anything to do with, has not only been with you, but you have been with for at least a month." Emily said with her arms crossed.

"I am not going to have this argument. I am a thirty year old man who knows what he has to do. I am legally married to you and now you are having my child. My responsibility and my duty is to be with you." Ross said deadly serious."We will get married again as you wanted. I do owe you that. And then we will take care of the business at hand. I do think we owe it to everyone to announce that we are getting back together. I owe that to my friends." Ross ' voice was very deadpanned and almost emotionless.

Emily got off the bed and threw her arms around him. Just like a void , he hugged her and it was obvious that his heart was not into this reunion at all. "I'll call Daddy." Emily said as she pulled herself off of him. Ross just shook his head at the mess that he was in. Seeing Monica, he brightened up a little in the hope that Rachel had something for him.

"Well?" he asked eagerly. Monica gave him a sad look then she handed him the piece of paper.

My dearest Ross,

Daddy has made it painfully clear how he feels and that is why he is flying us out today. He says that he wants me to have nothing to do with you or you to have nothing to do with the baby. He has nothing but contempt for you.

Oh God , this isn't how I wanted it to end up . I wanted to be with you and for us to be mommy and daddy. The time on the island was incredible and I will treasure it. Mostly because I will always have a little reminder of it . I hope that this baby has your eyes, because that is the first thing I noticed about you. Those brown eyes that were so loving and your good heart.

I want you to do the right thing. I want you to go with Emily and raise this baby. But always keep the memory of us in your heart. Maybe someday we can meet again…I would like my son or daughter to someday meet his or her father. But for now we'll just have to go on our separate ways…

Love, Rachel

"She's gone." He sobbed. "But why?"

"I think her father had a lot to do with it. He wanted to be able to be the man who could take care of her and never hurt her, like he thinks you have. "

Ross picked up the note and crumpled it . His eyes were mistier than before. He felt like he was now living in the nightmare. His Rachel, now gone forever and quite possibly his child.

"I heard what happened." Chandler's parents had gone and now he felt he needed to give his best friends' support. He hugged Ross and rubbed his back.

"After everything we've been through." He mumbled. "And now this."

Chandler straightened up. "So what are you going to do?" he asked curiously.

"Ill tell you what I am going to do. Emily and I are going to get married again in a civil service. It will be small and intimate and then I am leaving. Emily's home is London and I can't be here right now. I am sure there are museums and universities over there. Hey maybe I could get a job at Oxford or Cambridge . That would be a dream come true." Everyone stood around in shock as Ross kissed Emily , "I'm gonna be a dad again."

Note: Woo hoo 93 reviews….wow …that makes me smile and a big thank you to my regulars Oliver and my esteemed celeb reviewer Tina Chaves… the queen of R and R fan fiction…thanks to others and those who have made requests …they will be granted… as I said I am doing this while I am trying to start my life in Chicago…oh and get this I get on line and guess who was in town on Saturday? That's right! Maybe next year….but everyone watch Mattys new show it starts on Mon….. and he is on Conan tonight….


	18. A New Problem Develops

"I now pronounce you husband and wife.' The judge said. It could have been any words at any other time, because these were words that meant nothing to him. His hazel eyes gave a zombie like look as he stood next to her. There was no feeling , just a duty to do what was right. He swallowed inaudibly and then decided that he needed to stop thinking about her. It was over and he had to face it.

He lowered his head and then attempted a smile. She touched her lips to his and then the two shared their first kiss as man and wife. Emily dropped the makeshift bouquet of brightly colored flowers over Ross' neck as the small gathering applauded. Emily raised her head and then she rubbed her hand over her now flat stomach.

"Congratulations." Chandler walked over and shook Ross' hand. He then gave the obligatory hug. When he looked over, he saw that Ross was trying his best to show any kind of happiness. He knew that it all was an act. Monica kissed Emily to welcome her into the family. She then hugged her big brother and whispered into his ear. "I know."

Now they were back in New York. Joey didn't want to attend the ceremony , he decided to go to his favorite pizza place instead. His feelings toward Emily were quite clear and Phoebe held to her belief that Ross and Rachel belonged together.

"If there is anything you want, sweetie." Leonard said as he walked Rachel into the massive house. She looked around as she was led into her bedroom. There was a huge bed and a rocking chair by it. She may have been in the lap of luxury but she was a prisoner. She was trapped in a world that she didn't want. She had given this all up. But then her father always knew she would come crawling back, she sighed and then took a breath and flopped onto of the cozy comforter and started to page through the Vogue. She tossed her brown hair back and then began to read.

Grabbing her husband's hand, Emily dragged him down the steps of city hall. "Now since we didn't get to have a proper reception, my father has agreed to have one when we get home." She chirped. Ross just lowered his head. "If you don't mind , Emily, I would just rather forego seeing all your relatives . I didn't have that great a time at the first one, I know you wouldn't know that since you went out the bathroom window. I am just not in the mood for a celebration." He said as he pulled away. Emily wasn't going to fight this anymore. "You should be so glad to celebrate. You cheated death and survived. I had given up ever being with you and then by the grace of God, you are rescued by Dr. Burke and we get remarried. This is a new start for us. We can put our pasts behind us." Ross knew what Emily meant by that. Monica and Chandler looked on sadly.

There was one advantage to being pregnant, food. After all those weeks on the island, Rachel wanted to eat all and everything.She pulled the chop suey out of the bag and then began to chew on the eggroll. Flipping the remote, she tried to find something to watch. This was still quite an adjustment. Finding a Gilligans Island rerun, she had to laugh. Joey was just like Gilligan. She giggled at when the Skipper hit Gilligan with his hat. She could so picture Chandler doing that to Joey. Then she saw a scene where the Professor was trying to develop something. A tear formed and then she immediately switched the channel. She had her professor and now she was missing him.

"To Emily and Ross, much happiness." Monica had put together a charming little spread in her new empty apt. Rachels' stuff had already been moved out. Her room was now a guest room. This was so great for Monica to be able to play hostess after a month of cooking plants and fish. Chandler had made the toast, but Joey and Phoebe went through the motions of showing their best for their friend.

"Have you thought of what this is going to do to do your son? " Monica asked as she thought Ross' plan was not well thought out.

"He can get on a plane. That is no problem." Ross said as he drank his beer. He then began to grab another one. "Listen Mon, I just want to leave NY okay? I can't be around here right now. I just want to pack up my stuff and then I can wallow in the mess that is my life." Taking a large pull on the bottle , Ross realized that the sooner he was in London, the better he would feel.

Rachel laid on her bed until she heard a knock. "Come in." she said weakly. Her father popped his head in. "You have a visitor." He said. Before long , Judy Geller walked in the door with a wrapped present. Rachel leaped from the bed and embraced her. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Your father is a very unreasonable man." Judy said . "I told him that we have been friends for years. That you and Monica played together as little girls. I also said that I have a right to visit you, because deny all he wants to, that is my grandchild. " she gave her an understanding smile.

"How is he?" Rachel asked. "Well I am not going to lie. He and Emily were married at City Hall this afternoon. In a day or two , he is flying to London. He has no desire to be in NY." Rachel could never understand how Monica could say what she said about her mother. She was always so loving and understanding to her. But Judy had always held the hope in her heart that one day Rachel would be her daughter in law. And Rachel would be loved because of loving Judy's son.

Emily sat on the couch completely bored. She had been forced to watch Ross drink beer after beer. With each sip, he would begin to get sillier and giggle more. She hated to admit it, he was not a manly drunk, but a girly one. Seeing her disapproval, Monica tried to pull the beer away from her brother.

"Hey this is my wedding day. Can't a guy have a few beers to celebrate this happy day. Also the fact that I am going to be a father again." Ross slurred. Emily grabbed the bottle. "You are making a mockery of this whole day. I am going to go to bed in the guest room and you are coming with me." Ross grabbed it in the tug of war and threw it against the wall. "That's it. No more." Monica said as she cleaned up the shattered glass. Ross threw up his hands. "Come on wifey, let's go to bed." Ross said as he pushed a kiss on Emily's lips. She had enough and she pushed him and his beer flavored breath away.

Rachel unwrapped the present and put her hands to her mouth. "Oh it is adorable." It was a blue teddy bear with a rattle in it. She hugged it like a little girl holds a dolly.

"I wanted the baby 's first gift to come from his Grandma Geller. If there is anything , Rachel." Judy started to say. Rachel put her hand on her shoulder. "You know what I would want." Judy whispered. "I'll see what I can do. I will visit soon." She then leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

After Judy left, Rachel held up the bear and patted her stomach. "Someday you will understand. But do know this , there is not another man that I have loved more than your Daddy."

The next morning , Ross got on a plane with Emily. His stuff would be shipped later. Now he was leaving.

"Are you sure that the plane trip isn't going to make you nervous darling?" Emily asked when she realized the last time he had flown.

"Nope, I don't think I will ever have a trip like that again." Emily kissed him and they went through the door. As the plane began to taxi down the runway, Ross looked back at the skyline of Manhattan. He had spent his whole life there and now he was leaving. As the plane climbed, he felt like he just wanted to break out of his seat and run. Finally they were in the air, and his salvation was just around the corner.

"I 'd like a scotch please." Ross said as he lifted his hand.

Hello there, 100 reviews… wow I am excited. So glad you are all enjoying this story and it 's little dramatic turns…as I write I have an idea how it will end, but don't know how it will… to the person who said how it would ultimately end…well wait and see but chances are good you are right…my decision that Ross would have a drinking problem came from the awesome movie Duane Hopwood…which if you have not seen it …do … you will be blown away by david's performance in it..


	19. Hard Habit to Break

Ross held his aching head as he stumbled home through the darkly lit streets. He had no idea where he was or what he had done. All he knew, was that he was not home. The streetlights seemed unfriendly to him. He was, after all a foreigner in England. There were things in his memory, the glass of scotch or was it vodka. After a while, the drinks came so fast, it was all a blur. Ross knew one thing, he had find his way back to his and Emily's flat. He also knew that when he did, he had a lot of explaining to do to his wife.

Rachel had adjusted to her temporary prison. Again there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Rachel said as she turned off the television. Carmela opened the door slowly and then Rachel leaped up from the bed. "Monica!" she squealed as she embraced the girl at the bedroom door. "I missed you so much." Monica said as she backed away with the cardboard box in her arms. "Oh, and I brought some of your things. Just some personal stuff I came across." Monica handed the box to Rachel and she put it down.

"So , how are you?" Monica inquired.

"I guess I am doing fine, your mother came to see me." Rachel wanted to let Monica know that Judy wasn't as harsh as she always seemed to think.

"Yeah, I heard that." Monica was uneasy with what she had to say next. Rachel looked at her with a type of sadness in her eyes. She knew this was going to be hard. "You know, he went back to England with Emily." At this point, Rachel threw herself on her bed. "Oh God. I knew it." She began to dissolve into tears. Monica moved to rub her hand on her back. "Sweetie, I know." She said softly.

"I am not doing fine. My father has me locked up in a tower like Rapunzel. I am pregnant and not married. The man I love is with another woman on another continent. I don't want to be here, I want to be with you guys." Rachel sobbed into the pillow.

"Then don't. Come back with me. Your old room is still open. I want to take care of my nephew or niece. You left Massapequa before, you can do it again." Monica staunchly said. "You are an adult, your father can not rule your life anymore. You have responsibilities. You are going to be a mother . You have a job. You won't be alone. You'll have us."

Rachel moaned. "I can't . You don't understand. My father said that he would raise the child and pay for everything , if I promise to never see the father again. I am surprised that you got through the Gestapo. After all, you are a Geller, the enemy." Monica took her by the shoulders . "You are my best friend. We have been through so much and you helped me when I was still fat. You were nice to me. We are more than best friends, we are sisters. No one can keep us apart."Rachel was impressed with Monica's loyalty. "I gotta go now, but you think about what I said. We are going to get through this, together." With one more embrace, the girls parted. Rachel slowly walked back to the bed.

She was still asleep on the couch. Ross quietly crept in , guiltily grasping a bouquet of flowers. He silently crept toward Emily and tapped her.

"Emily?" he said. She started to stir and then looked up. Instead of her face showing joy, she showed anger. "Oh, I see the party boy is home. Did you have fun while I sat here and worried?" she asked pointedly.

"I am just trying to adjust to life in a foreign country. You know I have been through a lot in the past month and becoming a father again. I just need to have a little time to adjust to all this." Ross tried to think of excuses that he could use . "I mean I escaped death and everything."

"You made promises to me. We got married again. I thought you were all through this. You and I promised to be together. Remember, we are going to be parents." Emily reminded him.

He put his arms around Emily. "Just give me a little time, and I promise I will be the most loving and caring husband." Ross said the words, but he was unsure if he could keep those promises. "I knew that is why I fell in love with you." The two of them kissed.

Rachel started to go through the box of stuff that Monica brought. It was mostly books and magazines. Then she saw it, the white shoe box with hearts on it. She opened it, and then treated it as if it was a poisonous snake ready to strike.

The memories in this box were not quite what she needed now, but they did feel good. They enveloped her like warm water. She remembered when he accused her of not keeping what mattered. She had to laugh when she showed "Mr Know it All." There was the egg shell from the first time he made her breakfast in bed, the bone thing from the museum where they had sex, she had also collected some assorted cards as well. Then she pulled out the tiny jewelry box from the antique store. The cameo pin was hardly ever worn, it just wasn't her style. But it was important, it was a symbol.

"It was months ago, and we were walking down this street and we came to this window in front of this antique shop. There was a pin in the window and I said that it reminded me of one that my grandmother wore. I can't believe he remembered." He did remember and that was the special gift he gave her for that first birthday . Then she found out that he had deep feelings for her, more like love, and then damn him he goes off to China and finds Julie. That is the way it always was, there was always another woman when she realized she needed him. She looked off into the distance and wondered. Was he thinking about her?

Emily laid on the couch as Ross rubbed her feet. He had to make it up to her somehow. He promised her that he would take care of her and the baby. She was bored with the program on the telly, so she grabbed the remote and began channel surfing. As the pictures flashed by, Ross grabbed it away from her as he saw a nature program.

"This looks interesting." He said as he sat next to her. The nature show turned out to be a documentary about sea life. The screen was colored a brilliant blue as thousands of fish swam by the cameras. His focus on the program became more acute as he realized that the show was about underwater life.

It didn't dawn on Emily at first, she just saw it as something that interested her husband. After all, he was a scientist who had gone on digs for bones and fossils. He would be interested in this kind of stuff. Then she noticed he had a strange look on his face, almost a hypnotic look. Emily had to do something.

"It iooks absolutely amazing." She said hoping to show her interest in the program.

"it is , it is so incredible down there. It is almost as if you are in a totally different world." Ross said still staring at the television screen. Emily finally put two and two together. He was thinking about her. Their "Blue Lagoon" adventures and when he made love to her on that island. She just wanted to erase Rachel from his memory forever. Even though she was thousands of miles away, she still was a part of their lives.

"I was thinking, after the baby is born. Why don't we go on that honeymoon we never took? I mean , we never made it to Greece. We could go somewhere terribly tropic and then you could show me the fish and the coral." Emily was grasping at straws. She needed to take his mind off that island and that woman.

"See those sharks. Most people think they are deadly. But actually, they do not automatically attack. I got to observe a few of them when we were swimming." His mind floated back to those swims and her hair and the way it wafted . It was like a little halo. They moved through the water so freely, without a care in the world. The most important thing was that he was with the woman he really loved. He looked over at Emily again, and panic struck him. He couldn't breathe and he had to get some air. It was like on the island when he had went underwater and he just had to breathe. He had to get out of there.

"Ross, no." Emily saw Ross heading for the door. "You promised." She cried. He guiltily put on his coat. "I 'm sorry , Emily. I'm really sorry." Ross said as he closed the door behind him. '

"Damn you , Rachel Green, damn you to all." Emily said as she collapsed from a fit of tears.


	20. Temptation comes in the form of a woman

It was another day at the Pub for Ross. He had to get out of there. Seeing that documentary was the straw that broke the camel's back. He knew he had to see her again, he didn't know how, but he had to find Rachel. Monica had told him that she had visited her in Massapequa. The way that Leonard carried on, he knew that he would never let her near Rachel. He had it figured out, once the baby was born , he would get his lawyer and he would get the rights to see his baby. He had to , because that baby was the only thing that kept him going.

"Another one ." he said as he pounded his glass on the bar. Taking the glass, he slammed down another glass of amber liquid. He had become one of those guys who couldn't stand to go home to his wife. He remembered laughing at episodes of Cheers. That's what it was, he had become "Norm "and Emily was his "Vera." He had managed to get himself involved in a loveless marriage.

Rachel's mother and father came in her room. "And how are you doing, Sweet Pea?" Leonard asked as he saw that Rachel was occup-ied in her box of junk.

"Just fine." She said as she shoved the white box under the bed. "Just going through some old letters." She lied.

"Well you have been a prisoner for too long. It is time for you to enter the social scene again. Might as well try to get some great new friends." Sandra agreed with a smile. Her face was a little bit brighter ever since Leonard and her made up and were temporarily living together. "There is a dinner dance at the country club and I always remember how much you liked those."

Had her mother forgotten that she was an unwed mother and a pariah now.? She was not showing , but her waistline was beginning to thicken and her old clothes were now a little too tight on her expanding waist line. "Mom, I don't have anything to wear." She whined .

"Yes you do, " Leonard smiled. "I usually don't shop, that is you girls department. But I told the sales lady this was for my princess and I knew you would look gorgeous in it." He handed her the box and it took her breath away. The dress was black with a pattern of sequins on the front .

"It's gorgeous." Rachel squealed. "Thank you Daddy." She said as she got up and threw her arms around him. "And you don't need those cards in your name either, this is your new credit card." Leonard presented it to Rachel. "It's platinum.' She said in awe.

"You have nothing to prove to me, unlike your sisters, you have been independent. All we have to do is find you a man to take care of you and my grandchild." Could Rachel keep quiet? She didn't want this. She wanted to go back to Manhattan.

Monica and Chandler were getting more and more cozy in their life together. Seeing his buddy commit and knowing his true feelings, made Chandler think seriously about his own future. He didn't want to be caught between women like before and have to make an impossible choice between Janice and Monica. He knew he loved Monica.

He would take her to the fanciest restaurants and then he would escort her to Broadway shows like RENT and Cabaret. She had to giggle , it was more for him then her. Monica was never really a big fan of the theatre.

One of their favorite things to do was to go into Central Perk and just hold hands and walk. They would talk about the future and the children they would have. Shuffling through the colorful leaves, they couldn't believe that this incredible year was coming to a close. Monica would soon be planning her Thanksgiving dinner and the holidays wouldn't be so far behind. Of course, this year , two places at the table would be vacant. Monica knew Chandler wouldn't leave her, in fact she knew that the next part of their lives was right around the corner.

His going out had gotten worse. Emily just decided that she would have to put up with this. Maybe when the baby was born, he would change. Could he really not stand to be in the same room with her? Was she that awful? Her father had advised her to get a divorce, it was obvious that the Yank didn't love her. She used the excuse that he was still adjusting to life in England and that he had a lot of traumatic things happen to him. Steven Waltham just wanted to protect his baby from the hurt that was certain to come.

He wasn't drunk, he was happy. Ross tossed down his eighth scotch and then he saw something in the dark bar. She made her way through the crowd of men, her hair was more brilliant than anything he had seen. Ross had to close his eyes , but when he opened them. He saw something that he had given up ever seeing again. Her eyes were blue and skin was tanned. The hair didn't curl , it was straight and framed her face. The shirt she wore was tight and it hugged her in the right places. If he wasn't in England, he would swear that he was looking at her. Even the way she moved was just like her. In his condition, he stumbled over to the bar where she stood.

"I'll have a glass of wine." She said in an Irish accent. Before she could take the money from her purse. Ross slammed his credit card on the bar. "The lady's drink is on me." He declared. Handing her the glass, Ross put on all the charm. He smiled again and then sat down by her. He didn't know if it was because he was so unhappy with Emily, or because he was missing Rachel so much.

"Such a charmin fellow." The girl said. "And who might ye be?" she said in her brogue.

"I am Ross." He slurred. "And you are the most beautiful woman in this bar, possibly in the world."

"Looks like you might have had a little too much." She giggled. "I'm Heidi. "

"You don't sound English?" he commented.

"That's because I'm from the Sod of Ireland. And you don't sound English either? American?" Heidi inquired.

"Yes, I am from New York." Ross was trying to sound American now. Slurring was not a good idea to impress this woman. When she moved her hair from her face, it was the same way that Rachel did. He also guiltily tried to hide the gold band on his hand. There was no Emily, there was only the alcohol and this woman who could have been the spitting image of Rachel Green. He moved closer to her. Her eyes had that kind of hypnotic quality.

"And what do you do?" the girl was charmed by the foreigner. "No , you wouldn't be interested." Said Ross. He was very used to women being bored with his line of work. Dinosaurs were not exactly big on any woman's list, unless she was someone like Julie. "I think that you are a fascinating man, and I bet you do something that is totally fascinating." Heidi cooed. Mixed with the alcohol, he couldn't resist her charms. "Actually, I am a paleontologist." He stated.

Heidi didn't care if he was an astronaut or a garbage collector. The alcohol had taken its effect. He was dancing in her arms . The whole scene seemed very surreal. It was very similar to a certain night about two years before. He was cheating on his wife, but he didn't care. Did he actually love her? No the only person he loved right now was the woman in his arms. He had no love for himself at all.

Rachel walked to the mirror and then eyed herself. The bump was not visible yet. She was still the attractive woman. She just wished that she had not forgotten how to smile. No, her life had to go on , one way or another.

"Ready Daddy." She said as she slowly opened the door. She could do this . She was always the charmer. Even if it was just an act.

His lips slowly touched hers. Her lips parted to accept his tongue as it slid into her mouth like a snake. He felt the bones of her skinny body and rubbed his hand over her flat stomach. Her leg managed to touch the part that had now belonged to three women. He was wanting her , she could tell. Her manicured hands ran over his biceps as the two entangled bodies seductively moved to the music. His hand grabbed her not so small ass, she was ready.


	21. Too Late?

Hello there, 118 reviews… I am so glad that you are enjoying my story and to my loyal fans like Oliver, stessa, and what if , and others thanks for the support. I am going through some trying times right now and my stories are my salvation. Hopefully better times are ahead very soon…

He laid in the strange bed and looked over at the woman next to him with remorse. He never wanted to end up like this. Ross held his pounding head, until he pulled himself from the sheets wrapped around his naked body. He didn't care that his clothes were in a pile on the floor. There it was , the bottle with the glasses sitting next to it. He stumbled over to the bar, and poured himself a large glass of scotch. As the liquid tumbled down his throat, it burned. He knew he had everything coming to him. He was miles away from the man he once was. He looked in the mirror on the wall, he hadn't even looked this bad when he was on the island. His usually soulful eyes were sinking lowly in the sockets, his dark hair was plastered to his head in some areas and then sticking up in the others.

"Morning," Heidi whispered from under the covers. Ross ran back over and sat on the covers. She saw him drinking and had him give her a sip from the glass. Her body was exactly as he remembered it. She tossed her hair and pulled herself from the bed. She walked to her purse and pulled out a cigarette. "Want one?" she asked Ross. He shrugged his shoulders and took it. He really couldn't do anything else that was so bad, except maybe shoot up crack. He reclined back in the bed and took a puff.

Rachel entered the room. Her honey colored hair was piled on top- of her head. She had spent hours painting her face and it made her feel like the old Rachel. She knew the power she had over men. She knew that she could have any man in that room, maybe even pull them away from their wives or mistresses. Why couldn't she have what she really wanted? The men watched her move and they let their eyes follow her wherever she went. That thought made her smile.

"A club soda please." She said flirting with the bartender. She eyed him and then smiled at him. He was obviously in his early twenties, maybe he was a model or an actor, forced to wait on these over pretentious Long Island snobs to pay the bills. His teeth were white and his hair was brown and wavy. He obviously had something under the shirt he wore. The hormones were definitely starting. She just wanted to rip off his shirt.

He hadn't seen her since his wedding. He wasn't even sure he wanted to see her, but he did love her once. Dr. Barry Farber straightened his bow tie and walked toward the woman at the bar.

"A scotch on the rocks." He announced. Rachel broke her focus from the hunky bartender when she heard the familiar voice. "Barry?" she said as she hoped it wasn't him. That is all she needed.

"Hey Rach." Barry greeted her. "It's been ages huh?" Rachel remembered the last time she saw him. It was when Mindy had asked her to be her maid of honor when she married Barry. This was ironic since Mindy was Rachel's maid of honor when she was supposed to marry him. It turned out that Barry had fallen for Mindy and had been cheating on Rachel the whole time they were engaged.

"Hi Barry, so where's Mindy?" Rachel asked curiously. Barry took a strong swig of the glass and then looked down. "Mindy left me six months ago. She is married to a heart surgeon." Rachel knew very well of Mindy wanting rich men and remembered when she was like that as well. Thank God for Monica and that day. She knew there was more to a man than money."I am sorry." Rachel apologized. Barry shook his head. "Hey I got what was coming to me, right Rach?" Rachel could definitely sympathize with losing the one she loved. She sympathetically rubbed his shoulder. "It's never easy." She said with sympathy.

"And what about you? Anyone special? The last time I saw you , you were dating of all people Monica Geller's older brother." Rachel smiled at that thought. "We were, but then we broke up. He is married to a girl from England and lives in London." Barry knew that in some way that this might be to his advantage. Had he been given a second chance?

Barry put his arm around Rachel and walked her over to a table. "Let's get something to eat.' He said softly.

Emily looked around the flat and pulled herself up slowly. She was now beginning to show. Moving her hand, she felt the baby moving inside of her. A tear came to her eye as she realized she was alone. What had she done to deserve this? Could he really not be able to stand to be in the same room with her? Emily picked up the phone and began to sob. "Daddy, it's me. I am alone here. No, I haven't seen him for quite a while. Why isn't he here ? What did I do? Am I a bad person , Daddy? " Tears filled her voice. "I don 't want to be alone, Daddy."

Steven Waltham began to feel a totally new emotion for his American son in law, hatred. How could someone treat his baby like this? He had to get her home. Emily was his princess. He would hold her and take care of her better than that Yank. He said a secret curse that Emily would have never gone looking for Ross. If she never found him, she would have never been hurt.

"Emily, I want you to listen to me. Pack your bags, you are coming home." Steven said. "We will clean up this mess later."

"But what about Ross?" she asked , knowing that sometime he would eventually stumble in the door.

"Leave the Yank, a note." He said bitterly. "I said, we will clean up this mess later." Emily hung up the phone and then she began to feel the pain. Her stomach began to throb and then she felt something wet under her blouse. Taking her hand, she wiped her skin and then saw the liquid was red. Something was happening.

Ross had enough as he put the cigarette out and buttoned his jeans. He took one more swallow for courage. He knew he had to go home. He couldn't keep running from Emily forever. Heidi was still in the shower, he knew it was time to leave. Opening the door, he pulled his coat around his shoulders and then headed to the Tube.

The room was spinning and Emily felt like she was on a ride that was going too fast and she wanted off. Her feet slipped out from under her and now she could not get up. The pain seemed to worsen and she cradled her stomach , trying desperately to hold on to what she was going to lose. She had tried to make her way to the phone , but now she was on the floor. Sprawled on the floor, her hand grabbed her stomach and her other arm was flat on the floor.


	22. Consequences

He couldn't help but feel nothing. The alcohol had numbed his system. But he had to have some sympathy for Emily. Remembering how she loved candy, he stopped at a store and bought her a box of chocolates.Ross felt good about his purchase and then he started for his flat.

Emily was laying lifeless on the floor. The only sound that could be heard was the buzzing of the phone. Suddenly the silence was broken when Ross opened the door guiltily, "Ems?" he said curiously peering to see what her reaction was to his entrance. He looked around to see why he wasn't getting a response."Emily, I know that I ." Ross stopped in mid sentence when he saw Emily prone on the floor. He knelt down and wiped up a spot of blood with his hand. "Oh no." Ross moaned as he ran to the phone. He had to get her help and because there was no way to know how long she was like this. Then he had to call his father in law to meet them at the hospital. He did not know how he was going to face the wrath of Steven Waltham. He, himself , would beat himself up later for abandoning Emily and his unborn child.

She wanted to say it was uncomfortable , but it felt so familiar. Barry put his arm around her to lead her to the dance floor. Why didn't she feel this way before. She couldn't even remember why she did leave that day. The small band played as they swayed to the music.

"I missed you Rachel." Barry whispered. "Please come back to me." His hand brushed her bare back and he blew in her ear. Conflicting feelings were going through her head. She had only loved once before and now all these feelings were coming back for someone else.

"Barry, I don't know how to feel." Rachel cried. "I mean, I don't know how to feel anymore."

"I know you have been through a lot . Let me take care of you.' Barry said as he put his lips to hers. She hesitated , but then it went through her head that she was pregnant with a baby and no prospect of being with the baby's father. She looked over and every instinct she had before was gone. Here was a man who would take care of her and she would never have to worry about money or bills again. She closed her eyes and then she let Barry kiss her passionately.

Ross sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands. When they first got to the hospital, Steven pushed him away and said that he didn't want him near Emily. He deserved to be treated this way, he knew it. He had hurt her and he didn't know how his wife was.

Steven came through the door and put his head down. He lifted it , and it was obvious that his eyes were filled with tears. His wife joined him as well.

He came out and he gave Ross the dirtiest look he could. The fire and hatred were very obvious. He came right over and he took Ross by the scruff of the neck. "You Yankee bastard, when I heard that you had died , I had wished that you were dead. I did not forget how you hurt my angel when you said that other name. I thought there was no other way that you could hurt her, until now." He said deliberately. "You are lucky we are in a public place or I would punish you severely."

"How's Emily?" Ross asked eagerly wanting to know.

"Now you care for her. When you were being the party boy, you didn't give a rat's ass." Steven said with shame.

"Leave the boy alone." Said Emily's stepmother as she looked with lust at Ross.

"I will not." Yelled Steven. "That bastard is the reason that Emily is here."

"I didn't touch her." Ross defended himself. "I found her when I got home."

"You mean when you crawled in from the pub?" Steven seethed. "The doctors are still looking at her." At that moment, the doctor came through the doors with a solemn look on his face. He had news to deliver , but it was not pleasant.

"I am sorry , we couldn't save the baby." He said . "Emily is fine , in fact , she wanted to see you." The doctor said turning to Ross. Ross slowly lifted himself up from the chair. He shuffled his feet and then headed to the hospital room. Flowers wouldn't do it this time or candy. He knew he was walking to his own execution.

Emily was sitting up in bed. She had a Kleenex in her hand. When she saw Ross coming, she rolled it into a ball and then hid it. She did not want him to see her crying.

"You wanted to see me?" Somehow Ross was so humble and guilty when he said this. Emily knew it would come to this. She could be the bitch or the hero. She knew that it was too late for them.

"Ross, sit down." She said softly. He obediently obeyed her and humbly sat down in the chair by her bed. An IV hung next to her on the other side.

"Emily, I am so sorry." He said softly. He couldn't even face her or imagine what she was going through. It hadn't even dawned on him that possibly his child was dead. There was never any positive chance for him to prove that he wasn't the baby's father.

"It's gone and I am sure that you are happy. Now you leave me and go back to her." Emily said bitterly.

Ross couldn 't believe how she was being. But he did deserve this for the way he had ignored her. "That was my child too Emily. I am hurting as well." He said. She turned and faced him dead on. "Don't try to lie to me , Ross Geller. You have ignored me ever since you came to England. Now you are being given your parole papers and you can fly back to your little bird in America. I know all you do is think about her and you swimming under the water and making fishy love." Ross tried to defend himself. "Emily." She stopped him. "Don't . Just say that we made a mistake. We rushed into this marriage when it was obvious we still had feelings for someone else. Now we can cut our losses and get on with our lives."

There was silence as the two realized that they were spending their last moments together. Emily wiped a tear and Ross shuffled over to the bed and sat down. "Emily I never meant to hurt you. I am sorry that we had to end up like this." Ross took her hand. Emily leaned over to give him a hug. "I know. I hate to sound like a bitch but I am tired. I kind of would like to take a nap." She said. "Sure, I should probably be calling to make reservations for a flight." Ross said as he got up. "Can I see you before I leave?" he asked.

"I would like that." Emily said. Ross walked toward the door. "And Ross.?" He turned to face her. "Go to her." She whispered. "You deserve to be happy." She smiled. He smiled and closed the door. He had to call and find out how she was. He was still going to be a father and now he could be with Rachel. He got in the cab and had it headed toward the flat to call and pack.

Monica and Chandler were watching Titanic. Joey sat next to them with tears in his eyes. "They deserve each other, why God why?" he moaned. The phone rang.

"Hello, oh hi Rachel." Everyone came to life. "It 's good to hear from you too. " Monica responded. She mouthed to everyone it's Rachel.

"I have got the most exciting news. I ran into my ex fiancé Barry and guess what we have been talking and he knows about the baby and guess what?" Rachel squealed. "What?" Monica said impatiently. "He doesn't want the baby to be a bastard, so we are getting married. He is going to be my husband and the baby will have a father. " Monica dropped the phone. "You're getting what?"

"Married. We are going to my dad's to talk about the ceremony but Mon, I want you there. I will call you later. Love to everyone , bye." Monica had a glazed look on her face. "She's getting married to Barry." She said in a trance.

Ross was in the cab and he was headed to Heathrow. He didn't want to face Emily again. He would have his lawyer deal with everything. He had to get on his flight right now and the only thing that was on his mind was he had to see her. He had to find a way . He had to get to Rachel.


	23. Is it a Solution?

Rachel sat down with Monica in the Plaza. The two women were having lunch. Barry had given her his card so she could begin to buy some things for the baby. Monica had noticed that Rachel's hair had been highlighted and her nails done. She was beginning to look like the polished Long Island princess again. The kiss on both cheeks convinced Monica she had changed.

"Oh Mon, sit " she squealed. Rachel hopped around and acted like when her friends came into Central Perk right after she came to live with her.

"I won't pretend that I wasn't shocked, but Rachel , this is all so soon. " Monica said hoping that Rachel would tell the story of why she was marrying a man who cheated on her before with her best friend. "I mean you haven't seen him since his wedding."

Rachel took a sip of her water and then picked up her menu. "Have whatever, it is on Barry." Monica was disturbed by this . Rachel had bragged about how independent she had become and how leaving Barry was the best thing in the world. This didn't sound like her at all.

"Rachel, what happened?" Monica urged after the girls had ordered. She was going to enjoy this since she loved fine cuisine. Her choice was a chef salad with goat cheese and carmelized pecans and an expensive wine. Rachel ordered a club sandwich, a half of a chicken, and a lobster.

"It's started when I saw Barry at the country club. He said that Mindy abandoned him and then I started to look at him almost with pity. Then we sat down and talked and I told him about what I was doing and the longer I talked to him, I could just felt my heart melting and then I started to talk about our past and I started to think about what life was going to be like raising this baby alone."

Monica came to life. "You don't have to do that, remember we said we would help you. You would never be alone." She protested.

"But then would be the first time she or he would be sick, or it would be the middle of the night. What would I do, call you or Joey to help? No Monica, I need to have someone to help me and also I need to have someone there for me too. Barry will be that." Rachel said gently.

"Do you love him,Rachel or is this just a solution to the problem at hand?" Monica asked sincerely.

"I may not love him now. But, Barry does love me and he is going to say this baby is his. No one will ever know that he and I didn't conceive him. " Monica stood up in anger. "That baby is not Barry's , it is my brother's. I will never lie to that child."

"Monica, look where his father is now. He is with his wife. " Rachel gently reminded her. "Barry had always wanted to be a father, and now he will."

Monica couldn't stand to hear the lies. She just shook her head and wanted to shake Rachel back to her senses. Rachel could be on her own and she could raise this baby. It was as if some sort of a pod person had taken over Rachel's mind and made her think she had to depend on someone to live her life. She wondered if it was her father's doing at all.

He had finally gotten a flight. On the way to the airport, Ross had a change of conscience. He headed back to the hospital to find that Emily had left. She had left a note with the nurse to give him because she knew what kind of a man he was.

_My dearest Ross,_

_Someone comes along that you think is special and then he magically takes you away. That was me when we went on that romantic trip to Vermont where we stood and watched the deer. I thought there could not be a more sensitive or gentle man than you._

_When you told me about the women you loved, I thought that must a man who needed to have someone not hurt him. You even had regrets about hurting someone so much. That made you an extraordinary man in my eyes You were Something that women read about in romance novels or watch on the telly in the afternoon._

_I didn't want it to end either, but I thought about you on the flight home and realized I loved you too. Then when you had flown all the way to London to tell me you loved me, I knew I had found the one. I do realize that we rushed things, because we both were clinging on to something that we thought we had. _

_I went through hell when I thought you were dead. I knew we had unfinished business. I had left abruptly that day in the airport. I was still hurting from our wedding and wondered what kind of spell had this woman put on you. When I saw you standing there with her, I just lost all reason. Then once again out of love, you came running after me. _

_I thought when you came back to me, God had given us another chance and then the baby. We were going to be a family. I was so blind to see that I took you away from your friends and family to make me happy. It took this tragedy to make me realize that I loved you so much and all I wanted to see was you happy. God has given you that second chance now, so I am sending you to be with your child and its mother. She is the one that you have always loved and the one who will truly make you happy._

_With all my respect and best wishes,_

_Emily _

Ross took the letter from his hand and folded it in his pocket. He had made his peace with Emily. He then laid his head back as he sipped his scotch and tried to fashion the kind of homecoming he wanted. In his dream, Rachel was in a beautiful nightgown and her hair was in ribbons and she was holding a tiny baby girl. She was laying in her bed and he entered the room . She handed the baby to Monica and ran to his arms. He lifted her up and then she wrapped her legs around him and the two of them kissed. "I will never leave you." He whispered. And then Rachel smiled and said "I love you Ross." The reverie brought a smile to his face as he closed his eyes and had the first smile in weeks that wasn't induced by alcohol. Maybe he didn't need it after all.

Monica came home from her luncheon carrying her salad. Chandler watched her walk in a zombie like way. "She's really doing it. She is marrying Barry." She said stoically. "She doesn't love him, she's scared."

Chandler wrapped his arms around her. "I would never do anything to hurt you. I would treasure you and love you. " Monica held him. She was so glad that she had someone now. She could understand how Rachel felt . And then she prayed that she would never be in that situation . He wrapped his arms around her lithe body and began to plant butterfly kisses on her stomach. He began to nuzzle her raven hair and whisper how beautiful she was in her ear. She ran her hands through his sandy colored hair. Then she gazed deeply into his ice blue eyes and pressed his lips against hers. For a short time, the problems of her best friend and her brother could be erased from her mind. She just let the love of Chandler wash over her.

Phoebe looked through her books, it had to be somewhere. This had been a secret she had been keeping from everyone. She always knew she was special. Now she knew why. For most of her life she had known something was going to happen before it did. With a little bit of research, she learned that she could actually make things happen by placing spells. At first when she started studying the art of spells , she wanted to get even with Joey for the way he acted when they were rescued. But that wouldn't be right. She wanted to cast spells for good not revenge.

Wasn't that Rachel's hair brush she forgot one night? She took the brown hair from the brush and then she rummaged Monica's for something else. Lighting a red candle, she took the light brown hair and a piece of an old shirt and waved them over the flame and mumbled something. Smiling, she knew she was doing the right thing.

She would bring the lobsters together.

I would just like to say to everyone thanks for the reviews. When I started this story , I was in such a different place than I am now. I want to thank the people who have given me regular reviews and also my special friend, my sis, who is one of the worlds biggest Mondler fans and also a huge fan of Matthew Perry. For those of you who requested it, I gave you Mondler. And as I said, hang on cause we have quite a bit of story left. Wow 131 reviews , I have almost beat my record. I love you guys.

mel


	24. Ross Comes Home

Ross sat in the cab as he looked out to see the twin towers of the World Trade Center through the back window. It was the centerpiece of the familiar Manhattan skyline. A line of concrete and glass streamed in front of him as the yellow cab came across the bridge. He took a breath and breathed in the Hudson River fog as the driver's cigar smoke covered the back of the cab. He nervously rung his hands as the car sped toward Manhattan. It was over . He was home.

Her raven hair brushed the pillow as his fingers caressed it. She was wearing his favorite, a red colored teddy that cupped her small breasts. He laid next to her wearing a blue t shirt and shorts. They looked so comfortable laying next to each other, almost like they had been doing it forever. It was hard to believe that they had now lasted five months, more than he had previously.

"Mmmm" Monica purred contently as she rolled over in the bed. Her eyes popped open as she realized that it was morning.

"That good huh, " he smiled as he looked over into her face. He still couldn't believe that he had such a beautiful woman. She was sheer perfection. A knock at the door brought Chandler back to his senses.

"Probably Joey wanting breakfast." He said as he wrapped a robe around himself and headed for the living room. When he opened the door, his mouth dropped.

"I'm home." Ross sighed as he dropped his suitcase. "But I …" Chandler tried to get the words out. "I know, well it is a long story, and I am tired after my flight, so I will tell you later. Where is my sister and is Rachel here?" Ross ducked inside and looked to see if he could find her.

Chandler knew he had to tell him, but he thought it would be better if Monica did it. "Hey Mon, get up , your brother is here." He announced. Monica ran eagerly to the living room and jumped into his arms. "You're back. I am so glad that you are. Now maybe you can talk Rachel out of this nonsense." Ross was confused. "Where is she?  
At work?"

"You had better sit down." Monica took Ross by the hand and led him to the couch. Chandler sat next to her in support. Monica started." First of all, Rachel doesn't live her any more. She lives in Long Island with her parents again. After the plane crash, her parents got back together. " Ross got up with excitement. He knew where he had to go. "That's great . I will tell her I am back and that Emily and I are getting divorced and we can get back together." He smiled and began to grab his coat. Monica knew she had to tell him everything, so she tapped him on the shoulder. "That isn't all." She said sadly. "Her father will not let you within ten feet of her. He vowed his grandchild would never know its father." Ross was determined to win this fight. "Things are different now. I am ready to face him. I want his daughter and I want that baby and I will not let anything stand in my way of getting Rachel back. He can fight me all he wants, but I am not leaving there without Rachel."

Chandler now thought it was his turn to tell Ross the current developments of Rachel. "It isn't that easy. " Ross turned to him with an impatient look. "I have somewhere to go." Chandler shook his head. "Rachel has someone." The words struck Ross hard. He fell back down on the couch. It may have been morning , but in the worse way he wanted that drink. Something, anything to take the pain away. He pushed Chandler aside and then walked slowly to the refrigerator. Opening it , he spotted the bottle and immediately grabbed it. Monica looked on with surprise as she saw her brother drink beer at ten in the morning. With another sip, he turned to Chandler with a gritty voice and said."Who is he?" At this point, Monica wondered who this person in front of her was.

"It's Barry." Monica said softly. Ross took another swig and then got up. "I have given up everything to come back here and be with her. I will be damned if I am going to let someone else just take her." His words were tainted with anger. He wasn't going to just sit there, he was going to fight for her. "I'm outta here." He announced as he finished the bottle and headed for the street. Monica ran to the window to see him jump in a cab. "Chandler , do something." She said petrified. "Okay, like what?" he answered glibly. "I have never seen him like this and I am scared. Should I warn Rachel? Chandler put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She was worried for her friend and he was scared for his.

Leonard sat down at the breakfast table as Carmella poured his coffee and he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Sandra pondered the society pages of the Times. It was actually a comfy little fit and it was just like there was never a divorce. Leonard and Sandra had pulled together during the traumatic ordeal of the plane crash. Now they were trying a new arrangement. Leonard had moved back in so they could both keep an eye on Rachel and her unborn child. They realized they hadn't stopped loving each other, so they decided to live together before there would be any talk of remarriage.

Ross saw the house and a million thoughts began to go through his head. As a young boy, he would pass the Green house and wonder what she was doing . She was after all the woman that all women would be measured by. He would come home from the library and pass her window and see the dark shadows. Then his teenage mind would be filled with the kind of fantasies that occupied young boys minds. He would imagine every thing that he saw in his father's Playboys he had stolen. Now he was a man, and the images that captured his imagination were now a sweet memory. His mouth had moved up and down that body many times. Now she was having a baby, and not just anyone's but his. He hoped she would take him back.

"Thanks." He said as he paid the driver and eagerly got out of the cab. Practically tripping over his feet, he ran to the front door. A small Latino woman opened it and ushered him in.

"A man is here to see Miss Rachel." Carmella announced. Leonard got up out of curiosity, he had a feeling so he wrapped his robe around himself and headed toward the living room. His face filled with anger when he saw Ross standing there.

"YOU!" he said through his teeth. "I thought you were in England with your wife."

"It is a long story, but sir , I really need to see Rachel." Ross was trying to be as earnest as he could.

"What did you do ? Leave this one too?" Leonard snickered as he took a puff.

"I don't want to go into the details right now, but Emily are not together now. Sir, I love your daughter and I guess I always have and I am here to make things right." Ross said forcefully.

"You are not going within five feet of Rachel. I told you in that hospital that you would never see that child or Rachel again. Rachel is with a man who is going to take care of her and not leave her." Leonard said snidely. "She got back together with Barry and she is with him right now." Rachel came through the door and then turned in shock when she heard the familiar voice.

"Rachel."


	25. If You Leave Me Now

Rachel wandered towards Ross . She couldn't believe that he was actually standing there. Leonard managed to wedge himself between his daughter and her former lover. Rachel tried to at least touch him as he reached out to her. "Daddy." She cried.

"Beat it Geller." He barked. Rachel tried to appeal to her father. "Daddy, I want a few minutes with Ross." She looked into the older doctor's eyes. "Please," she begged. Leonard knew if she talked to him and told him that she was with Barry now, he would be history. "Alright," he said begrudgingly. Rachel took his hand and then led Ross into the parlor. She got up and closed the doors for some privacy.

"I am so glad to see you, I have to tell you something Rachel." Ross started as he looked into her eyes. Rachel turned away. She knew she had to tell him about Barry . But she couldn't face those puppy dog eyes at all.

"Where is Emily?" Rachel asked. "Is she back in New York?" Ross shook his head and then he started. "Emily and I are finished. " Rachel couldn't believe this at all. "What about the baby?" Rachel said as she felt the kick. "Ohh." She exclaimed. Ross went over next to her, "What was that? Is it the baby?" Ross moved his hands onto her stomach. His facial expression made up for the pain he had been through. "I can't believe it. That is my child in there." He smiled sweetly. There was no way he wouldn't fight for her. He had to say it. "Emily lost the baby." He said with his head down. "She said that she was tired of fighting it and realized that I wasn't in love with her." He then moved closer to Rachel's lips. "I need to tell you something , Rach."

Rachel backed away. "Ross, before you say anything. I have to tell you something." She was dreading this. Ross hung on her every word. "I'm listening , he said intently. "Ross, I didn't know that you were coming back and I thought you and Emily were going back together." Ross took her hand again. "Emily and I are history. The only woman I care about is you." At that moment, Barry popped in the door. "Rachel sweetie, " Barry was startled when he saw Rachel sitting on the couch holding hands with Ross. Rachel popped up and then she hurried over to Barry. "Barry honey, you remember Ross?" Barry came over and shook Ross ' hand. "He just got back from England." Rachel tried to explain. Barry put his arm around her and then he began to kiss her passionately. Ross stood up in an amazement as they embraced each other. His mouth dropped.

"Barry, I was telling Ross something , honey. Could you wait for me." Rachel said sweetly. "Of course angel, anything." He said as he patted her stomach. Then Barry walked away.

"What in the hell is going on?" Ross demanded. Rachel couldn't put it off any longer. "Ross, when I didn't know that I would ever see you again, I went to a party at the country club and then I talked with Barry and he said he would take care of me." She cried and then Ross's face was filled with shock. "No." he said getting up. Rachel saw the pain he was in. "Ross, I didn't know . Honest." Ross grabbed his coat and headed for the door. She didn't want to see him this hurt. "Ross wait." The door had been slammed. Rachel ran to stop him. She needed to explain.

"Well that's that." Leonard said as he turned around. He was now satisfied that Rachel and Ross were history. Rachel just stared at the closed door.

Ross had the driver speed away. "I will tell you where." He said harshly. The driver started down the street and then got on the expressway. He couldn't deal with this. Ross just wanted to die. The main reason for coming back was Rachel and now she was with someone else. It finally had dawned on him that he had also lost his child with Emily. Tears came to his eyes as he realized everything he had lost. The driver had passed a bar. "Hold it." Ross said. The driver stopped and Ross bailed from the car. He stood and looked at the door at the tavern. For a minute he debated, then he walked in.

Rachel walked with Barry into the living room. She tried to cover her ambivalent feelings. He held her hand and he couldn't help but grin as he looked at her. "Rachel, honey, I can't wait for us to be married." He said excitedly. It was finally starting to dawn on her , she was getting married. And to Barry.

"Me too." She smiled through her teeth. He patted her stomach again.

Rachel looked down as he did it. She was almost wishing that he wouldn't . All of her feelings were coming back now. Why did she have to see him?

"And he was going to Rachel's ." Monica said as she sipped her latte. "I honestly don't know what is going to happen. " Phoebe started to smile. "It worked." She said excitedly. "it worked." Everyone looked at her. "I placed a little spell on those two. I took some of Rachel's hair and one of Ross' old shirts and did a love spell on them." Monica was shocked. "You mean you wrecked my brother's marriage? " Phoebe came to her defense . "I did not. Those two are meant to be together and think of that little baby." Joey agreed. "Yeah I mean when we were on that island, those two were always happy and holding each other, like they did when they dated." At that moment, Ross stumbled in "Hey guys." He slurred. He almost knocked over the table in front of the sofa. "Gunther, you should really start serving beer." He giggled. Monica took her brother by the hand. "And you really should have a cup of coffee." He swatted her away. "No, no coffee. " He turned to Monica . "I saw her and she is happy." Then he started to sob. "She is happy and she doesn't want me anymore." Monica knew he was hurting.

Everyone gathered around Ross like they did when Emily said the first time it was over. He was just so glad to be around these people because they would support him no matter what. Phoebe had a secret smile on her face, she knew that she could get him what he wanted. Monica looked down at her watch. "Oh my God, I have to go." She hated to leave , but she had promised Rachel to be her maid of honor. She couldn't say where she was going, but maybe she could talk Rachel out of this nonsense. "Bye honey." She said as she leaned down to kiss Chandler. She then put her arm around Ross, "Sweetie it's going to be better. I can't promise when,but it will." She kissed her brother on the cheek. Joey got up and walked over to Monica. "Hey where's my kiss?" he whined. "Good bye Joey." Monica said as she hurried out the door.

Rachel was busily running around with papers in her hand. The baby was now starting to be a little more predominant than before. The excitement of the upcoming wedding was keeping her busy. "I'm here." Announced Monica. Rachel walked quickly to greet her friend. "I have been working on the flowers and the food. This is going to be so great. I thought I would dread this, but my working at Bloomie's has made me more aware of this kind of stuff." Rachel was starting to come to life again. Monica always knew that Rachel was capable and she was proving it by working on this wedding without a planner. Monica also held a hope in her own heart, that she would be planning her own wedding soon to Chandler. "I bet you can't wait to be married." Monica said smiling. Rachel turned her back to pick up a color sample. Yep, I can't wait for Ross and I to be married." Did Monica hear that right? She just said Ross. Rachel realized her slip. "I mean Barry." She said with an embarrassed face. Monica knew there was still hope.

Hi there this is probably the tie. But as I type this I have 147 reviews . I want to say this makes me very happy. I especially want to thank a few of you that have remained faithful through the story stessa, girl what a great story you have, whatif, Oliver , my loyal critic, Tina Chaves , and of course, you sis…and also Steve if he ever reads it… thanks for putting up with me and caring… Other stories will be updated soon as well…


	26. IN her Mind

Rachel realized what she had done. It all came clear. Then she remembered someone else's fateful slip.

"Repeat after me, I Ross.

"I Ross

"Take thee, Emily

Take thee , Rachel"

What had it meant? She found out on that ill fated flight. It meant he still was in love with her. He had said that it was because he had seen her before the wedding and was glad she came to his wedding. She thought back to when she saw him before he ran out . She looked deep into those eyes and when he held her hand , it was home again. Rachel shook the thoughts from her head. She was marrying Barry . She couldn't think this way. He had apologized for cheating on her with her best friend , Mindy. He had told her he would take care of her and the baby. That was the most important thing now. She ran her hand down to feel another kick.

He was still drunk, but Chandler led and Joey took him to Joey's to sleep off the alcohol. He dropped over on the couch and began to snore. Chandler just shook his head. "Did you notice that all of a sudden, he seems to want to drink a lot?" he said concerned. "Hey he's been through a lot , the crash, Emily, losing Rachel?" Joey said as he stood watching him sleep. Chandler was more concerned of what this was doing to Monica. He saw her concern when Ross stumbled into the coffee shop.

"Maybe I will just spend the night here." Chandler said. Joey jumped up and down. "Just like the old days. And then when Ross wakes up we can take him through the steps. And then we can go to a strip club." Chandler had to laugh , it was the same old Joey. "Well I should call Monica and tell her I am spending the night here. Maybe she could spend the night with Rachel to talk to her." He suggested.

Monica hung up the phone. She looked at Rachel as she held the gown up. She knew what she had to do. Rachel had planted the seed, all she had to do was dig.

"So, that was nice seeing Ross huh?" Monica started. "Oh yeah. I mean I think it is terrible what happened and everything." Rachel said as she laid the wedding dress down. "It is never good when a marriage ends and especially with the baby dying." Monica 's mouth dropped. She didn't know this. "Well you see, he came back because he wanted to be with you and the baby." Monica said. Rachel still didn't get it. "Well I suppose now he could be a part of my baby's life. Monica was getting impatient. "He is the baby's father." Rachel continued to hold up the veil and stand in front of the mirror. "Monica, I will have to discuss this all with Barry, but I am sure that Barry will let him come to visit his child. He is very used to this because of Ben. It will be no problem." Rachel smiled. Monica couldn't believe how Rachel was brushing this all off. This wedding was a farce.

It was getting late, Monica was getting ready for bed and Consuela was bringing the girls a snack. Rachel had her hair in pigtails and Monica was wearing one of Rachel's old night gowns. Rachel sat on her bed and Monica had her legs crossed Indian style as she bounced on the twin bed. "This is great. Just like when we were in high school." She sang. "Except now, I am the fat one." Laughed Rachel. It did remind Monica of high school. All she needed now was her brother popping in his head accidently.

As Monica and Rachel sipped their cocoa, they laughed and shared memories.

"Remember the game that lost the apartment?" Rachel said."Yeah , I can't believe you didn't know what Chandler did? " Monica exclaimed.

"Well you are dating him, do you know yet?" Rachel cross examined her. Monica shrugged her shoulders. "No." she said weakly.

"I remember when you and Richard broke up and you thought he had called you and you made a major fool of yourself, " Rachel remembered and the memory was clear to Monica now. "Yeah and then Chandler stole all of Joey's underwear and Joey stole all of his clothes. It was so funny to see the look on his face when Joey told him he wasn't wearing any underwear." Monica started to giggle, but Rachel couldn't help but remember that night. "Yeah, and he was going to drink the fat." Rachel said with a thoughtful look. She remembered how that night ended. She was filled with pride as she watched her boyfriend on the dais giving his speech. When the night was over, it resulted in one of the most passionate nights ever. She had announced she was going commando and he took advantage of that fact. Within minutes, her designer dress was on the floor in a pile and his tuxedo was next to it.

"Remember when Joey…" Monica started , but then she saw that Rachel was involved in her own thoughts. She had done it, now all she had to do was bring up Ross.

"Rachel, do you ever think about him?" Monica asked. "I mean do you ever miss being together?" Rachel gave her a thoughtful look. "Well you always remember the first ." Don't you?" she smiled. "I mean of all the guys that I have been with , your brother was the first one who ever was so sweet and worshipped me. I mean he would call me at work and put little notes in my coat when I left for work in the morning. I thought that was sweet." Monica knew she had hit a nerve. Rachel reached over to turn off the light.

Rachel pulled the comforter around her and then moved because of the baby. She closed her eyes and then she drifted asleep.

It was a synagogue and her father was smiling and taking her down the aisle. Monica waited at the front and so did Phoebe. She was a vision in white , even though she was very visibly pregnant. A white veil covered her face as she walked down the aisle on her father's arm. Leonard smiled as he took his daughter to her waiting groom. Chandler and Joey looked on as she took Barry's hand and turned to face him. Ross was sitting by himself as she came past him. She looked over and his heart broke all over again. He had just wished her luck and he covered up what he wanted to say. She smiled sweetly at him. Then Rachel looked at Barry. As she noticed him standing there, it wasn't Barry, but Ross. Rachel closed her eyes again, and then Barry returned when she opened them. The minister started the vows and Barry pledged his love for her. Rachel turned to Barry and then she said. "I Rachel, Take thee Ross." Monica heard Rachel mumbling and Rachel woke from her sound sleep. She was breathing heavy and her eyes were wide awake.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Monica asked as she held Rachel. "I had this dream and I was getting married and I ." Rachel stopped. "It was all a dream ," Monica said. "Only a dream." She said. Rachel went back to sleep as Monica looked on.

As Ross slept, Phoebe crept in and walked around the couch. Joey and Chandler had gone to bed. She wasn't finished yet, not until they were back together. She took a pair of scissors and cut a piece of his hair. Then she put it in a small leather pouch and snuck out the door.

The next morning, Ross stretched and then got off the couch. He walked to the kitchen and pulled out a beer. Hair of the dog, he reasoned. Chandler and Joey came from the bedrooms and noticed their friend had started to drink rather early.

"I will replace this." Ross said as he took another drink. Chandler gave him a puzzled look. "Isn't it a little early for that?" Joey asked as he watched Ross take a swig from the bottle. "I am still on London time, in London it's perfectly alright to drink." He said as he took another drink.

Joey and Chandler looked on concerned as they watched Ross drink. "What is the problem?" Ross said as he took another bottle from the refrigerator.


	27. Holding out for a Hero

It was the day of the wedding. Everyone was dressed in their finest, but him. Ross pulled the blue terrycloth robe around him and continued to sit on the couch and drink. This would be how he would spend Rachel's wedding day. Monica took great care in getting herself ready, until Chandler pulled her to the side.

"You look gorgeous." He smiled and kissed her. She pulled away and peaked through the door to see Ross drinking yet another beer. His face was unshaven and his dark hair stood up without help of the ever present gel. His eyes were sunken into his head allowing him to even look sadder than usual. All appearances said he had given up.

"He has got to snap out of this." Monica said. "If he doesn't , Rachel is going to make the biggest mistake of her life." She couldn't take her eyes off of him out of concern. Chandler knew that the drinking was getting out of control as well. In fact they all did.

"He thinks it is too late." Chandler said. At that moment, Joey and Phoebe entered bearing gifts for the wedding. Ross got up and gave Phoebe a kiss on the cheek. "Pheebs, you look great." He sighed. Phoebe wished she could be happy , but she wasn't , she had done it before , maybe she could make him go after her again. "Is this what you are wearing?" she said to Ross. He sat back down on the couch. "I am not going." He said as he went back to his beer. "Okay Ross, this is crazy, you two belong together." Phoebe yelled.

"Phoebe, she is marrying Barry. She has obviously made her choice. I waited too long and she deserves someone who is not going to hurt her the way I have." Ross said dejected. Joey just stood and shook his head. Monica and Chandler came from the bedroom. Joey whistled and smiled at Monica. "How you doin?" Chandler gave him a look . "Ease off Joe, I am sure you will find another bridesmaid at this one too. This one is mine." He said. Monica walked over to her brother and ripped the bottle from his hand . She then took it and poured it down the sink.

"Monica, I am a big boy , and I can take care of myself." Ross yelled. "I am not an alcoholic."

She decided that the time was right for an intervention. "You may not be an alcoholic now, but you are on the road to being one. Look Ross, I know you have had a lot happen to you that has been bad, but you have to understand that you need to go to this wedding." Monica said.

"I can't go to this wedding. She is my ex girlfriend and it would be awkward." Ross whined. Again Phoebe, turned to him and made her case, "And do you know that is exactly what she thought when you married Emily? What if she would have thought that? She wouldn't have gone to London to tell you how she felt."

"Maybe she shouldn't have?" Ross muttered. "Maybe this whole mess would have been avoided if she wouldn't have." Ross started for the kitchen and Joey blocked him. "I don't suggest you try to pick a fight with me , Joey." Ross said as he tried to go around him. Joey blocked him again. "Hey!" Ross whined as he fought in vain to pass Joey.

"We are your friends, we are only trying to help. Do you realize how miserable you will be if she does this and you don't at least try to talk to her?" Chandler said sincerely. "This is me you are talking to. All through college you said that this was the only one for you. You two loved each other and I really believe that it isn't too late."

"Honey, I only want the best for you. I know when I was there the other day that she kept slipping and saying your name instead of Barry's . And remember she is carrying your child." Monica said with her arm around her brother. "Now we have got to go , but it is up to you. " She leaned to kiss him on the cheek. "The ball is in your court now , Ross." The group gave their best wishes and then left Ross alone.

He slowly walked to the mirror and ran his hand on the unshaven face. He kept staring into the mirror as if he was deep in thought. With one motion, he ran to the bathroom and got into the shower. The hot water was invigorating as it ran over his olive skin and he stood and tried to shake himself to life. He had a job to do.

Rachel sat as her veil was being adjusted. For some reason, she kept looking at the door as if she expected a stay for her execution. Monica popped in . "There are some people who want to see you." She announced. Then the gang walked in. "Happy Wedding Day." Phoebe cried with a hug. Rachel smiled. "Oh I missed you guys." She cried and hugged every one. Rachel looked to see if anyone else had come. "Honey, I would like to say he is coming, but I left it up to him." Rachel plopped back down. "Maybe I shouldn't have invited him. It is probably for the best that he doesn't come." She said . "Anyway , see how big I am ." Rachel proudly showed herself in her wedding gown with her eight month stomach. "and I can eat anything I want." She declared.

With a clean shaven face and combed hair with just a little bit of gel in it, Ross went to the closet in the guest room and grabbed one of his suits. He then went through his ties and found a burgundy one that Rachel had told him she liked when she took him shopping one day when they were dating. Knotting the tie, he started to look in the mirror and talk to himself. "Well Rach, I don't know what will happen. But I have to give it one more shot. It isn't over until someone says I do." He then looked down at his watch and hailed a cab. "Long Island." He said as the driver pulled away.

Sandra entered the dressing room. "Well sweetie, it's almost time." She exclaimed. With their best wishes, everyone left except for Monica. She took her bouquet and then she waited for Amy and Jill. Leonard entered in a tux. Monica kept watching the door as she walked down the aisle. She had to be happy for her friend. She kept saying to herself. Chandler had the biggest smile on his face when he saw his girlfriend walk past him. Maybe now he could start thinking about the right time to propose.

As the cab rode past a florist, Ross made him stop and then he bought a bouquet of lilies. He then got back into his cab for the rest of the ride. He had to try.

Rachel began the walk down the aisle with her father escorting her. He smiled at Barry who was going to take care of his princess now. Monica tried to look happy as she saw Rachel take Barry's hand. She also kept a careful watch of the door.

The rabbi started the ceremony and then he said. "If there is anyone who thinks this couple should not be joined together , speak now or forever hold your peace." From the back of the church came the response. "She does not love him." Everyone turned their heads around to see the where the mysterious voice came from. "She loves me." Ross said carrying the lilies and walking down the aisle to the front.

Rachel shook her head and dropped her bouquet. "Oh so you came, and are you now going to ruin my wedding?" she said angrily. Ross grabbed her arms. "Geller, I am calling the police." Leonard said getting up from the seats at the front. "Let me talk to Rachel, then I will leave." Ross said calmly. Rachel nodded to her father and then kissed Barry on the cheek.

"Okay, say what you have to and leave." Rachel said as she slammed the door of the dressing room. Ross turned to her and said a silent prayer that she would understand.

"I know that I made a huge mistake . I slept with another woman when I thought that we were finished. I thought that I was over you when I married Emily , but I wasn't . Emily was just a substitute for you. I still had deep feelings for you. On that island, we rekindled that love and that resulted in that beautiful little baby growing inside of you. " Rachel looked down and ran her hand over her stomach. He took her hand. "I love you today, and I will love you tomorrow, and if you will let me, I will love you for the rest of my life." Rachel looked deep into his hazel eyes. She took her arms and wrapped them around him and then sighed. "I do love you , Ross." She closed her eyes and then began to kiss him. "Ohhhh." She said. Ross backed away from her. "Is it time?" he said panicking. She patted her stomach."No , I just think that baby Geller is happy." He smiled at the first acknowledgement of his baby with his own name.

I think you have something to tell Barry." Ross said opening the door. Then he handed her the bouquet of lilies. "You remembered." Rachel said smiling. "How could I forget you or your favorite flower?" Ross and Rachel came out of the door holding hands. Everyone stood up when it was opened.

Rachel knew what had to be done. "Barry?" she said as she turned to him. "Oh no not again." Barry moaned. "No Barry , before when I was going to marry you , I didn't love anyone. I just wanted something more. And these six people accepted me as their family. They showed me that I could do more and be something. " Rachel said as she motioned to her friends in the front rows. "but Barry, there is someone that I love. And that is this man, "Rachel took Ross' hand.

Phoebe leaped up and yelled ."Yay." and Joey smiled and screamed. "Yeah baby!" Monica ran to Rachel's side. "Are you sure about this, sweetie?" she asked hopefully.Rachel could see that her father was very angry.

"Daddy, didn't you always say that you wanted the best for me?" Rachel asked sweetly. "Yes, but he cheated on you and then abandoned you." Leonard said. "Daddy, I forgave him, why can't you?" she asked meekly.

"He is the father of your grandchild." Rachel said. "Your first grandchild." Leonard looked at Ross. "If this is what you want, Sweet Pea. I guess I can accept it."

"Barry, someday you will find a woman to love who doesn't just want you for your money , but for the nice guy you are." Rachel kissed Barry on the cheek then turned to Ross and said. "You're stuck with me now , Geller." The two lovers embraced and then kissed passionately with the whole company applauding.

"I"ll kill him if he beats me to the altar." Monica said laughing. Chandler held her and grinned. "I don't think it is going to be much of a wait." He knew he would be proposing soon.


	28. Its a four

As my story winds down, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed me. This is now my baby since I have almost 200 reviews for the first time since I started writing three years ago. I am now more than ever trying to make a point to update. So to people who have requests, be patient they will eventually be filled. …mel

The gang had returned to normal, eagerly awaiting the birth of Ross and Rachel's baby. But Joey had something exciting for him, he was cast in the first lead in a movie. The name of the movie was Shutter Speed and it was being shot in Vegas. Him and Chandler drove Phoebe's cab there , since he had to pay for the trip. With a kiss, Monica allowed Chandler to go without her. After all, she was helping to take care of Rachel , who could deliver any time now.

"He threw me out ." Chandler said as he traipsed into the apartment. "This whole movie is a farce and he is just going to be stranded there." He said dragging in his suitcase. "I told him I didn't think this movie would go anywhere. I knew you guys would be mad, so I found some gifts on the bridge." Chandler opened the bag and pulled out an old teddy bear. "Who wants the teddy bear with no leg?" Phoebe leaped up . "Oh I do." She screamed. " Unless you want it for the baby." She said as she looked at Ross and Rachel. "I think we have enough , between the shower and Rachel's co workers, and my faculty members at NYU. " Ross commented as he politely pushed the old teddy bear back to Phoebe. He then turned to Chandler. "By the way, where is that twenty bucks I gave you to gamble with?" Chandler smiled. "That's what we used for lunch." Ross just gave him a look.

Joey stood in the middle of the crowded casino and looked down at his costume. He was dressed as a Roman gladiator , just so he wouldn't be broke . The movie had ran out of money and was forced to shut down. They were so broke , they had even asked Joey for funds. As the trucks pulled away, he stood there holding the balloons that Chandler had sent as an apology.

Ross and Rachel had gone for a doctors appointment. The baby was late and Rachel was uncomfortable and cranky. Monica had gone to buy a present for Chandler when he got home from work. It was their one year anniversary and she had to find the perfect gift. It had to cheer him up , since Joey wouldn't talk to him , he had been down. She had the perfect solution, she and him would fly out and see Joey while he was in this movie.

Phoebe sat reading and then the phone rang. "Hey Joey," she exclaimed at the pleasant surprise. "Hey Pheebs, I forgot the pin number of my bank account. I have it scratched at the ATM on the corner. " he asked . "Oh you mean you're 1489?" Phoebe supplied the information and then talked with her friend. Chandler and Monica came through the door. "Is that Joey?" Chandler said as he ran to the phone. Joey did not want to admit that Chandler was right, so when it was suggested that he come out to Vegas, he immediately asked him not to. Monica had surprised him at his office with the tickets. Then Phoebe got the idea they all should go to Vegas. Joey sat down with his head in his hands, he couldn't let them find out he once again was a failure.

"Well, I have had these tickets to the Van Gough exhibit for almost a year. "Ross started.

"I am not going to some boring museum when I can't even stand up." Rachel complained.

"Well, I don't have to go. "Ross said with a sulk. "No I want you to, you have been so good since we got back together, you deserve to go to your art thing." Rachel said as she patted his arm. "I will be fine, then we can go meet everyone."

"Art lover." Coughed Chandler. "What was that? Was that supposed to be an insult?" asked Ross defensively . "No." whined Chandler.

"You won't be missed." Said Ross. Rachel started to wince in pain. Ross ran to her side. "Is it?" Is it time?" Rachel held her tummy. "No , just a false alarm." Rachel said as she leaned back on the couch. "No you guys , go , we will be fine. Ross and I will meet you in a couple days." She hugged everyone as they went to pack for the flight to Vegas.

Rachel was in the apartment alone. Ross had gone to his art exhibit. She looked around and then she rubbed her stomach. It was starting to hurt now. The pain wasn't going away now. It was getting stronger. Every few seconds, a new pain and they were getting worse. She looked around , but then she realized that she was alone. Going to her purse on the end table, she grabbed her cell phone.

"Ross, hi are you having fun? That's good because I think we need to go to the hospital now." She held her belly. "I am going to get in a cab and meet you there. Okay I will see you in a few minutes." Rachel lifted herself from the couch and made her way to the closet to get a coat and then to the elevator. Knowing it was time, she had the driver help in to the cab.

Ross rode in the cab and then realized that he didn't' have Rachel's labor bag. "Shit!" he cursed. "I am meeting my girlfriend who is in labor and I need her little bag." The driver headed back toward the Village and then Ross grabbed the bag and headed toward the hospital.

Rachel was in a wheelchair with her hands folded . It was obvious she was not happy. Ross came tearing through the automatic doors. "Well thank you for taking your damn sweet time." Rachel said haughtily. "I forgot your bag and I knew we would need it." Ross said as he apologized. He pushed the wheelchair to the admissions desk.

"Green." He announced as the nurse put the information in the computer. "This way ." the nurse said as Ross pushed the wheel chair into the room. Rachel rubbed her shirt and found that it was all wet. "Oh Rach, your water broke. Our baby's coming." Ross was so excited because when Ben was born, he had to share this experience with Susan, this was all his own.

"I just wish that everyone could have been here. They are all in Vegas." Rachel moaned as another contraction hit. Ross leaned down to rub her back. "No , no , epidural." She said pushing him away. "I don't want you to ever touch me again, Dr Geller." She exclaimed.

Monica walked around in a daze. She was keeping a nasty secret from Chandler. Before they left, she had gotten a phone call from Richard. He had wondered how she was doing, and she was still indebted to him for rescuing them and then her dumping on him, so she allowed herself to go to lunch with him. Chandler looked lovingly in her eyes. He then looked around the fountains of Caeasars. This would be the best spot for the proposal. He would take her for a walk and then propose by the pool.

Phoebe had found a way to entertain herself and Joey was now occupied trying to find a guy who had what he claimed a hand just like Joey's , his "hand twin." Phoebe was drinking too much and calling herself Regina Philangie, a business woman. She was having a good time and then she saw the couple.

"Hey Monica, if I were you , I wouldn't tell Chandler about your lunch with Richard." Monica tried to stop the drunk Phoebe and then Chandler dropped Monica's hand. "Come on Joe, I need a drink." He said as he saw his best friend and the two men headed to the bar. Monica looked like she was ready to cry , but first she wanted to kill Phoebe.

"What did I do?" asked Phoebe , oblivious to her faux paus .

"I didn't want him to know, Phoebe." Monica said as she grabbed her own drink. She then needed something, anything to take her mind off of Chandler. She was in luck , she spotted a crap table. Maybe this would take her mind off of him. Phoebe went off to grab some more alcohol and to return to a slot machine , now occupied by a woman she called "the lurker."

"And a winner." The dealer screamed as Monica threw another six. She had a buzz, but more importantly , she was ahead. Everyone was cheering her on , and more importantly , everyone was loving her and supporting her.

"She is here with you man. You guys are great together. I bet she went to lunch with him to thank him for saving us. You know , he went diving into that plane and told everyone we weren't dead." Joey was trying to convince Chandler that him and Monica were far from over. "She is still with you, and I bet she would love to be with you tonight." He said smiling. "Unless you don't want her anymore." Joey said rubbing his hair with his hand.

"Of course I want her." Chandler took a drink and then slammed down the glass and headed for the casino. Joey continued his quest for the hand twin. He spotted Monica ready to throw another set of dice as he came up to her.

"Another six." Monica jumped up and down. Then she looked to the side and saw Chandler and began to kiss him. "I am so so sorry." She said when she smiled at him. The dealer handed her the dice and she threw an eight . "If you get this one, we get the biggest suite in the place." Monica threw and everyone cheered. Another eight. "If she gets this one, we will buy a steak for everyone in the place." Monica took a breath and threw the dice . Another eight." Chandler turned to her . "We are not going to buy everyone a steak , are we?" Monica looked at all the people . "No."

It had come down to this. They were in Vegas, so why not. Chandler cleared his throat and then took her hand. "If you get this last eight, we get married here tonight." Monica 's heart stopped. Everyone was buzzing. She needed to concentrate.

"It just got interesting." She said . Chandler handed her the dice and she threw them. The dice flew off of the table and landed on the floor. A four was showing and both of them dived to the floor to find out the answer.

"It could be either a four or five." Monica said as she looked over at Chandler.

Chandler on his knees crawled over to Monica on the floor. He turned to her and then smiled.

"It's a four." He said softly. The two of them began to kiss passionately.

Joey ran to the couple with Phoebe clutching his cell phone. "Its Ross. Rachel is in labor."

Hey I hope you liked my version of the Vegas story….dedicated to Mondler fans…


	29. Its a Girl

Rachel held on to the bed rail as another contraction hit. "Why the hell did you do this to me?" she screamed at Ross. The pains were coming even quicker now. "Ahhhhh and we were so not on a break." She yelled at him. "You cheated on me."

"You are dilated , seven centimeters, almost time." The doctor said as she looked at the monitor hooked up to Rachel. An epidural had been administered and they were waiting for it to take effect. Finally a feeling of peace came over her. "Did you call them?" Rachel asked calmer than before.

"My parents are on their way. Your parents will get here a little later." Ross replied. "Oh and they are flying back from Vegas." Rachel smiled . She couldn't have this baby without their own family, their friends.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join together Chandler M. Bing and Monica E Geller." The minister said the words. Joey stood by Chandler' side as best man and Phoebe held a wild flower bouquet as Monica's maid of honor. Monica looked down at her so called wedding dress and then she looked around at the tacky wedding chapel decorations. This is not what she had spent her whole life dreaming of. She had envisioned herself in a white gown and long veil. Chandler would have either Ross or Joey as his best man and they would in tuxes like London. Her best friend was in a hospital giving birth to her nephew or niece and here she was thousands of miles away. Her parents could not finally see that their Harmonica was finally going to be a wife. No this is not what she wanted.

"Stop , stop." Monica cried. Chandler turned to her. "What's wrong ?" he asked confused. "This!" This is!" she said waving her arms. "Do you realize that we are getting married and there is no cake or music or what I am wearing." Monica defended herself. "I may be selfish but I want a wedding. I want to be the center of attention for once to my mother in my life. I want to walk down the aisle of my father and most of all I want all my friends there. My best friend is giving birth to my niece or nephew and we are in Vegas. I need to be with her." Chandler smiled. Yes it didn't feel right to be there without his other best friend, the reason he was with this incredible woman. "I know." He patted her hand. "Guys I am sorry. But we will do this again real soon." Chandler apologized to the minister and his assistant and the foursome headed for McCarren Airport. Phoebe and Joey would come back later to take the cab home. Luckily, there were four seats on a plane to New York and it was with the airline that crashed them. They were more than happy to put them in first class as well for nothing.

"Ten centimeters, we're ready to go." The doctor calmly announced holding the readout from the monitor. Ross held Rachel's hand as the orderly wheeled her bed down the hall. He couldn't help but feel what she was feeling. They both wanted their friends there. "They'll be here soon." Ross reassured her.

"I'm scared." Rachel cried. Ross knew that she would be a great mother. "How can you be scared? You have escaped from a plane wreck and swam with sharks? I don't think this is scary." He said confidently. "This is going to be great. We are entering a new phase of our relationship. We are going to be parents. That little baby is the result of our love, our everlasting love for each other. You are a going to be a great mother and I am going to be a great dad." Ross hoped that his mother remembered to bring what he asked for. The group walked through the doors that said DELIVERY on them.

"Oh my God, we still don't have a name." Rachel remembered as they lifted her onto the bed in the labor room. The orderly stretched her iv hose, so she would be comfortable. "I had a few ideas, remember?" Ross said as he continued to stand by her. "Now let's just get him or her out ok?" Rachel braced herself as she felt another contraction. "Get them out NOW!" she screamed with a force to shake the room.

"I bet they heard that in Vegas." Ross said scared.

Judy and Jack Geller entered the maternity waiting room. They talked to the desk nurse and then sat down. Judy had the small velvet box in her hand and kept eying it. She had sent Jack for coffee and just in general a few minutes to get used to the fact that she was going to have another grandchild. Ben was now four, but this child would actually have a mother and a father. That thought brought a smile to her face.

"Here is the coffee." Jack said as he handed it to her and then sat down on the couch. "This is so excting, our first grandchild." Judy had to laugh at her absent minded husband. "Jack, we do have a grandson, Ben." Judy took a sip of her coffee and then just shook her head.

"Our first grandchild!" Leonard yelled as he and Sandra came through the door. He was holding a huge teddy bear and doing something that was totally out of character for the grumpy doctor, smiling. Sandra was holding a bunch of balloons and a big one that said congratulations. "This is a great day!" she smiled . "After all, our baby is having her first baby." The two couples months ago were sitting in mourning and now they were awaiting the birth of a grandchild from the children they thought were dead.

"Cigar?" jack said as he pulled one from his coat. Leonard smiled and took it from him. "Don't mind if I do , Geller." Sandra came over and tapped him on the shoulder."Leonard." she said in a warning tone.

"Just this once sweetie, it is a day to celebrate." Dr. Green smiled. The two men walked outside to smoke. This was a great chance for Sandra and Judy to talk. "I always knew that Rachel had a great deal of affection for you." Sandra softly admitted. "I was never the kind of mother you were, I was always at this meeting or that club and never really took the time for my kids." Judy smiled. "You did the best that you could know how." Somehow that made it all right.

"Just one more push." Ross urged. Rachel 's face was red and her hair was a mess. Sweat was pouring off of her forehead and then Ross would push the pillow up that she was resting on , she would make a valiant effort to push, then her strength would give out again.

"I can't ." she whined. "I have been doing this and nothing is happening." She would lay back down and then have to push again. "No , no more." She said weakly.

"You're doin great , honey." Ross cheered. "Come on , one more time." He said as the doctor had almost pulled out the baby. "Oh my God!" he said terrified. Rachel jumped up. "What ? What's wrong with my baby?" she screamed. The doctor shook her head. "It's a breach. It's going to take a little longer." She said. "Okay now, Rachel, I am going to need you to push even harder." Ross squeezed her hand and bent down low by the bed. "No , no." Rachel shook her head. Ross tried to encourage her. "Come on, just a little bit more. " He lifted his head at the same time as Rachel's and the two heads knocked together, knocking Ross to the floor from the impact of the hit. He rubbed his forehead as he attempted to get up from the floor. "Man , you have no idea how much this hurts." He moaned. At that moment, six pairs of female eyes shot him the deadliest look.

From the floor he continued to root Rachel on, "Keep going , keep going." The next noise he heard was the cry of a newborn baby.

"It's a girl." The nurse said. Ross pulled himself up and then he pulled down the sheet covering Rachel. "A beautiful little girl." He said with tears in his voice. "Would you like to cut the cord?" the nurse asked Ross and then handed him the scissors. After that , they took her away .

"Where are they taking her?" Rachel said panicking. "Just to clean her up." Ross assured her.

"Well be careful, she's so tiny." Rachel yelled. Before she knew it, Rachel was holding her in her arms and smiling down at this beautiful little baby. "Hi , I know you. Thank you for coming out of me." She smiled. Ross noticed something. "Hey , she looks just like you." He exclaimed. "She is going to be beautiful , just like her mommy." Like a second impulse, he leaned over and gave Rachel a kiss. "You did great, Rach." He said as the baby was taken to the nursery. Rachel was so exhausted she fell asleep. It had been a big day.

Monica looked out the window impatiently. She just wanted to get home now. "I wish we could get there sooner." She said anxiously.

"Well if I could get to a phone booth and change into my super hero costume without any of these other passengers knowing , I would." Chandler said in his usual way.

"You're a super hero, I never knew that ." Joey said impressed. "Could you?"

"I am not a super hero." Chandler protested. "it was only a comment."

"It's a girl." Ross said as he came through the waiting room door. He had the biggest smile on his face. Leonard surprisingly was the first to come forward and give him a hug. "A girl." He declared. "Well you finally did something right, Dr Wethead." Ross just shook his head. He guessed it would just be something to get used to . Judy made her way through the crowd gathered around him. "Here it is. Does this mean what I think it does?" she asked hopefully. "Yes , Mom, I am proposing to her when she wakes up." Ross said examining the ring. "its beautiful." She put her arm around her son. "It was your grandmothers engagement ring."

He walked into the hospital room where Rachel was sleeping. She had the most beautiful look on her face. Complete peace and contentment. He wondered if it was the drugs, but it was something more. She had everything. A smile crept across her face as she realized she wasn't alone. It was the sweetest sound she heard. She looked over to see the tiny bassinet and the little girl in it.

"Good morning , Mommy." He said with a kiss.

"She's perfect." Rachel cooed as she tried to move the blanket covering the baby to see her little face. She then noticed her little smile. It wasn't Rachel's , but Ross's .

"She is just like you." He smiled. "I have a present for you. Now I know that you like to exchange things, but I am sincerely hoping that you wont exchange this." He pulled the ring from his jacket. "Rachel Karen Green, will you marry me?" he said nervously as he dropped to his knee. Rachel couldn't believe it and put her hands to her mouth. "Yes ." she answered and then he got up and put the ring on her finger. "You have given me everything Rach, everything I have ever wanted." He smiled and then bent down for a kiss. ….

Okay there is an epilogue coming up …but first I want to thank everyone for their comments and support ,especially you guys from Everlasting Love….you guys are the best..as always Tina , Oliver and of course my dear sis Jen….and also my new fan stessa her stories are always great …


	30. Epilogue

This is the Epilogue …thanks for all the nice things you have said. I hate to bring an end to this story too, but it has gone its course. Everyone is together, and Mondler is happy and so is R and R. To the person who asked. I am one of the co founders of Everlasting Love , which is a fan club on Friends Board , where you can share your love for Friends.

"You may now kiss the bride." Joey said as Ross leaned over. His lips first brushed hers, then the two closed their eyes and began to ignore the gathering. They had come this far and the journey had ended here. The kiss was interrupted by a cry. Little Emma Green Geller voiced her opinion as her Aunt Monica, held her in her arms. Rachel then grabbed her and held her in her arms.

"Emma,it's okay. Mommy's here. Mommy and Daddy are married now." Rachel bounced her daughter in her arms. Ross leaned down and then kissed his daughter on the forehead. Then he smiled and gently kissed Rachel again. He looked at this perfect creature. Then he kissed Rachel again.

"Ross. Not now." Rachel gently reminded him. "Oh you just wait, Mrs. Geller. When I get you alone later, " he started to say wicked. Monica started to wave him away. "Eww I don't need to hear about my brother's sex stuff." Chandler took her hand and then he kissed Monica and smiled. "No , because we are going to have our own kind of fun later." Monica looked down at the ring on her finger, she was next.

Phoebe took Joey aside. "You know, first Ross and Rachel , then Chandler and Monica, do you think maybe we should?" she suggested with an evil look. Joey looked at her and then kissed her on the nose. "You're the best , Pheebs." Across the room was a group of girls from Ralph Lauren with drinks in their hands. He straightened his tie and then he started for the gathering. Phoebe just shook her head and then took a sip from her drink. Putting her head down, she started to walk away from the bar. Not noticing where she was going, she bumped into a guy .

"Oh I am sorry." Phoebe apologized. The guy smiled at her. "That's alright , my fault." Phoebe looked up at him and noticed there was a certain sparkle in his eye. Something just made her not want to stop looking at him. "Okay." She agreed with a smile . Somehow , her honesty and the way she presented herself enchanted him. This guy had to get to know her. There was like a magic around her. "I 'm Mike , Mike Hannigan." He said putting out his hand. Usually she would give the pseudonym Regina Philangie, but today there was something different about this guy. "Phoebe, Phoebe Buffay." She was ready for something special and magical to happen. She was tired of the walls she had built around her.

The music played as Ross and Rachel slowly moved to the music and everyone watched them.

We strolled through fields all wet with rain  
And back along the lane again  
There in the sunshine  
In the sweet summertime  
The way that young lovers do

I kissed you on the lips once more  
And we said goodbye just adoring the nighttime  
Yeah, thats the right time  
To feel the way that young lovers do

Then we sat on our own star and dreamed of the way that we were  
And the way that we were meant to be  
Then we sat on our own star and dreamed of the way that I was for you  
And you were for me  
And then we danced the night away  
And turned to each other, say, i love you, I love you  
The way that young lovers do

Then we sat on our star and dreamed of the way that we were and the way  
That we wanted to be  
Then we sat on our own star and dreamed of the way that I was for you  
And you were for me  
I went on to dance the night away  
And turned to each other, say, i love you, baby, I love you  
The way that young lovers

They held each other tightly. She let her head drop on his shoulder and then she could just stare into those eyes. His loving hands cupped her soft hair as he moved it close to his nose. He wanted to smell her, breathe because of her , hold her and never have to let go. He couldn't believe she was actually his. The thousand lifetimes had passed and it was now forever. All too soon, the music had ended.

"If you will excuse me, there is another woman I need to see." Ross said as he ran to where Monica was holding Emma. Then Rachel had another man tap her on the shoulder.

"May I have this dance, Mrs. Geller?" Chandler smiled and then Rachel gave him a peck on the cheek. "After all, we are going to be in laws soon." The two friends moved to the dance floor and began to dance.

"I just want to say that I am so glad that you two are finally together. I knew that you belonged together, and it about fucking time that you two realized it." Chandler said grinning. Rachel playfully hit him. "I think this is going to be the last time Ross gets married. " she said sweetly.

All too soon, it was time for the couple to leave. Monica knew she was next , so Rachel let the bouquet sail toward Phoebe. When she caught it, she looked flirtingly over at her new friend. "Wanna get out of here?" she said brazenly. "Uh huh." Mike said, taking her hand as they ran out of the door.

The sun felt good on her shoulders as she looked into the deep blue sea. They had decided on a cruise for a honeymoon. The breeze blew her honey colored hair as she waited for him.

"A margarita for the lady." Ross smiled as he handed her a drink. She accepted it gracefully. "You know, I have always wanted to go on one of these things." Ross admitted. "Really?" Rachel smiled.

"Yeah, ever since I ended up stuck at home on Saturday nights watching the Love Boat." Ross sort of felt ashamed of this admission.

" You know, I never saw that show." Rachel said to him. "Of course, you didn't , you had dates on Saturday nights." He said shyly. "It was a great show about two people who were destined to be together. They would go on this boat and then they would either hate each other or fall in love with each other automatically."

"That sounds like us." Rachel giggled.

"Then they would go through this complicated relationship in the span of one hour. And they would usually end up living happily ever after." Ross continued.

"Do you think that will be us?" Rachel wondered.

"Only time will tell." Ross answered. He put down his glass and then he took in his arms the only thing he would ever need. He truly had everything that he had wanted ever. The woman of his dreams was his.

The song is Van Morrison The Way Young Lovers Do


End file.
